After spending two months in purgatory, the Sacramento Kings appear to have turned things around under interim coach Doug Christie. The Kings are 8-2 since Christie took over for the fired Mike Brown heading into tonight’s home game against Washington.
Why Sacramento Kings Have Turned Things Around Under Doug Christie
Sacramento is taking advantage of a schedule quirk. Tonight’s contest marks just their third game since last Sunday. The Kings won’t play again until Wednesday when they host Golden State. The Kings bounced back nicely the last time out, following their second double-digit loss under Christie, with an impressive 132-127 victory over Houston.
Prior to Christie moving to the first seat, Sacramento was six games under .500 and 12th in the West. The Kings are currently ninth with a 21-20 record, matching the records of Golden State and Phoenix. They are one-half game behind eighth-place Minnesota and two back of the sixth-place Los Angeles Lakers.
While Sacramento has had a lull in the schedule, the Kings have had a tough 10-game stretch. The Kings, who are above .500 for the first time mid-November, picked up six victories against teams with a .500 plus record — going 6-2 in those games.
More significantly, the Kings went 3-1 against the West’s top 8 squads. The Kings are now 12-15 against teams with a winning record, which is quite an improvement over what they were with Brown directing things. With their three recent wins against the West’s top 8 teams, they are 5-11 in those types of games.
Perhaps most significantly, Sacramento got going at home. The Kings went 5-0 at the Golden 1 Center during this stretch to improve to 11-12 there on the season—the worst home mark of the West’s top teams. The Kings have won at least 23 of their home games in each of the past two seasons and are 48-37 there since the beginning of the 2022-23 campaign.
Sacramento’s Offensive Pace and Efficiency Has Increased Under Christie
Sacramento has been at least as good in every category under Christie as it was under Brown. However, the Kings have played much faster and have been extremely more efficient offensively.
“The Kings under interim coach Doug Christie look vastly more motivated and focused than what we saw before Mike Brown’s firing,” The Athletic’s Zach Harper recently wrote. “The Kings’ offense is very good. Their defense under Christie has been spectacular.”
For the season, Sacramento is seventh in offensive efficiency (115.6) and 13th in defensive rating (112.8). The Kings average 116.8 points and have posted shooting splits of 47.4/35.0 (12.4 threes)/81 (21.6 FT attempts). They average 26.5 assists, 13.2 turnovers, and 44.7 rebounds (10.8 offensive).
Defensively, Sacramento allows 114.2 points with a shooting slash line of 46.5/37.5 (14.5 threes)/22.7 free throw attempts. The Kings allow 9.8 offensive rebounds, force 14.9 turnovers, and commit 19.7 fouls.
Under the direction of Christie, the Kings have increased their scoring as they average a league-best 122 points over the last 10 games. The Kings have moved/ shared the ball better, get out and run more often, and the glass on both ends. Defensively, Christie has gotten his team to compete consistently.
Why Have The Kings Been Better Offensively under Christie?
Over the last 10 games, Sacramento has an offensive rating of 118.2 and a defensive rating of 112.7. While the Kings are averaging over seven points more than they did under Brown (122-114.8), they are shooting the same (47%), though they have increased their proficiency from deep — making 14.5 treys on 37 attempts for a 37% clip. The Kings post nearly 30 assists a game and turn the ball over just 12.3 times a contest. Their 12.2 turnover ratio is second best in the league over these 1o games.
Granted, Sacramento isn’t getting to the free-throw line as often under Christie. But the Kings have hit the offensive glass hard, grabbing 13.4 offensive boards and converting them into 15.4 points. They also are compiling 15.8 fast break points.
So, why has Sacramento been better offensively besides these adjustments? According to Domantas Sabonis, who has been outstanding as a facilitator during this stretch, Christie has simplified things.
“(Christie is) calling three or four plays,” Sabonis explained to Sacramento Bee’s Chris Biderman. “One for DeMar [DeRozan], one for Foxy (De’Aaron Fox) and one for me. He’s trusting his main guys to create the advantage, and then everyone plays off that.”
Kings are More Balanced Under Christie
Christie has used 17 players over this 10-game stretch. However, Christie has continued Brown’s trend of playing his starters’ heavy minutes. As Sabonis indicated, Christie has allowed his best players to do what they do best without restrictions. That is why the Kings are more balanced and working to get the ball where the team can score.
Over the last 10 contests, six Kings have been averaging double figures, and three are tallying at least six assists. Comparatively, five Kings produce double-figures, and two average six assists a game for the season. More significantly, Sabonis, Keon Ellis, DeRozan, and Keegan Murray are getting cleaner looks from deep and connecting on them.
Malik Monk has arguably benefitted the most since Christie taken over. Over his last nine appearances, Monk is averaging 22.2 points, 7.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.4 turnovers. Monk also is averaging 2.4 threes while shooting 43.5/30.4/92.7 and posting a team-best 9.7 plus/minus rating. He has totaled one double-double and scored at least 18 points eight times during this stretch.
Ellis also has been very good lately. The 25-year-old guard averages 10.6 points, 3.0 boards, 1.4 assists, and 2.0 steals in 26.2 minutes over 10 appearances. He has drained 2.3 threes with shooting spits of 47.9/46.9/88.2 with a +5.9 plus/minus rating.
Trey Lyles and rookie Devin Carter, who made his NBA debut recently, also have had their moments.
Kings Defense Over The Last 10
Defensively, Sacramento is giving up three more points under Christie than Brown. But their defensive efficiency is the same under Christie and Brown despite the Kings’ opponents shooting a little better against them recently (47.6%-to-46%). The Kings have done a little better at defending the 3-point line, limiting their opponents to 13.9 triples on 36.7 attempts.
The most significant difference is the work the Kings have done on the glass. They grab 53% of all rebounds (second-best over the last 10 games), including 76.2% on the defensive end (fifth). They have also improved their transition defense by allowing nearly 14 fastbreak points.
During this 10-game stretch, Sacramento has held four opponents to under 110 points. However, three opponents have topped the 130-point mark.
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