Changing coaching mid-season and then moving on from your franchise point guard months later has all the makings of a tricky season to navigate. Sacramento Kings interim head coach Doug Christie has done an impressive job traversing the waters, leading the group to a 20-13 record under his leadership.
But Zach LaVine has played just 15 games with Sacramento. Fourteen for Jonas Valanciunas, 12 for Jake LaRavia, and Markelle Futlz has appeared in nine games. Working in those talents while dealing with the absences of two starters (Malik Monk and Domantas Sabonis) can change the identity of a team.
Their one high-paced style of basketball had faded this season, even under Brown, but it’s come to a halt following the All-Star break. Before the break, they ranked 11th in pace (100.10), but sit in 28th post-ASB (96.11).
When asked about that change, DeMar DeRozan said it’s more about execution, regardless of their speed up and down the court.
“Whatever way we play, whether it’s fast or slow, we’ve got to make sure we’re making the right reads and executing the right way and understand what we can take advantage of,” he said after Wednesday’s practice. “Whether it’s fast or slow. I think at times we get caught up in whether we’re playing too fast or we’re playing too slow, not making the right decisions in those moments.”
Attacking mismatches has been the name of the game for their offense, which fits their elite isolation talent. However, with an unclear identity in their current stage, Christie pointed toward playing “beautiful basketball.”
“I love beautiful basketball, and that is on the offensive end, but beautiful basketball can be on the defensive end too,” he said Wednesday.
Of course, Christie was also known for his fiery nature on the court, and he wants his group to embrace a similar mentality. “At the same time, I want to hit somebody in the mouth,” he continued. “We don’t get hit first, we hit first.”
The additions of Valanciunas and LaRaiva have added to the Kings’ physicality, but coach Christie doesn’t want the line to stop there. When asked who he thought sets the tone with “punching first,” he said “I want them all to do that.”
“It’s how I expect us to get down. I don’t care who it is. You’re not sitting back waiting for anything, you’re going to get it. You’ve got Jonas, you’ve got guys who definitely set a presence that way, but he’s not always starting. So, that doesn’t mean that we change our style of play. We’re coming to do what we do and it’s going to take time to get that identity because, at the same time, that identity is a a little bit scary because you rub people the wrong way and not everybody is built like that. When you rub people the wrong way, they’re going to push back and if you’re not ready to push back after they push back, that’s a problem. But I think that the guys, they’re understanding, and they’re willing, and that’s the first step in the process and then after you get it and it’s automated, then you just do what you do.”
Sacramento ranks 13th in defensive rating (113.1) post All-Star break. Before giving up 133 to the New York Knicks on Monday night, that number was in the top ten. That “punch first” mentality and physicality that comes with it had played a big factor in that recent improvement, albeit their competition included the likes of Charlotte, Utah, and a heavily beat-up Dallas team- with a good road win against the Rockets mixed in there as well.
For LaVine, it’s about being “the harder playing team every night,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“I think that’s going to be the main thing for us going forward. Defensively, we’ve been really good pretty much since the All-Star break, but just being the harder-playing team. I think defense will help us get easier shots offensively.”
Sitting at 9th in the Western Conference with 18 games remaining in their 2024-25 NBA season, the time is now. Monk has returned to the lineup and Sabonis — who participated in Wednesday’s practice, but his status is uncertain Thursday in Golden State — right around the corner, they’re nearly at full health.
While growing pains with a new group are expected, the ironing out process can be unforgiving. Speaking with 15 years of experience, DeRozan says any moment could be where it all clicks, whether on or off the court.
“Every day is an opportunity to figure something out,” he said. “Working, being around each other, sometimes it can take a couple of laughs and just feeling good about ourselves before we get back on that court. It comes in all different types of ways. It could come on this bus ride up to San Francisco and just come together, finding whatever we need just to be the best team we need to be tomorrow.”
When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will face the Golden State Warriors on Thursday in a game involving massive postseason implications.
With a win, the Kings will hope to secure the regular-season series from the Warriors while also gaining a game on Golden State’s sixth-seed spot in the Western Conference standings.
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Golden Warriors drama right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on The Drive Guys before action tips off at 7:00 PM PT from the Chase Center in San Francisco.
Upcoming schedule for the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings
Thursday, March 13th – @ Golden State Warriors – 7:00 PM PT
Friday, March 14th – @ Phoenix Suns – 7:00 PM PT
Monday, March 17th – vs. Memphis Grizzlies – 7:00 PM PT
Wednesday, March 19th – vs. Cleveland Cavaliers – 7:00 PM PT
Thursday, March 20th – vs. Chicago Bulls – 7:00 PM PT
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