Stockton- On December 27th, Kings fans received the shocking news that Mike Brown, the 2022 Coach of the Year and a beloved member of the Kings franchise, was fired and replaced with Doug Christie, who is the interim head coach. As mixed feelings from fans pour in, many of them are stepping away from the feeling of outrage and are filled with hope that Doug Christie may be the answer to ending their streak of upsetting losses. As the team heads into a 5-game winning streak with an amazing performance against the Miami Heat on January 6th, the promotion of a new head coach may be exactly what the Kings need to get themselves back into the early playoff picture.
Star players such as Malik Monk, De’Aaron Fox, Domas Sabonis, and DeMar DeRozan continue to put up high numbers in all aspects of the game, flowing together better than ever. Christie has made little to no changes in the lineup, but the team can be seen with more energy and liveliness, especially on the defensive end. With only minor changes being made, everyone is left to wonder what the Kings and head coach Doug Christie are doing differently than Mike Brown. To help come up with an answer, some of Lincoln High School’s very own Kings fans answered this specific question.
To start off, Mason Lampkin, who is a junior at Lincoln and on the varsity basketball team, was asked this question and answered, “There have only been a handful of games so far under the leadership of Doug Christie, so we can’t really say he is doing better than Mike Brown, who coached for multiple years. However, I believe that Doug Christie has helped the Kings become more energized and play better as a team.”
Next up is another junior and varsity basketball player, Dilan Fanucchi. His thoughts on the difference between the two coaches are that, “Doug Christie has had plenty of experience being a player in the NBA, so he is able to understand the players perspective better and helped them bring an end to their losing streaks. While he may not be the entire reason that the Kings have been doing a lot better in these last few weeks, it is safe to say that ever since he has started coaching, there has been a new energy to the team that I enjoy watching.”
As of right now we may not know the exact reason why the Kings management fired former head coach Mike Brown, but what we do know is that in the recent games the Kings have played with a new intensity and determination under interim head coach Doug Christie that has not been seen yet in this season. Kings fans everywhere can only hope that the winning streak of the Sacramento Kings continues and that this season will become one to remember.
