Kings’ Christie Ranked Worst NBA Coach Entering New Season

Doug Christie's tenure as the Sacramento Kings coach has been disastrous, reflected in his ranking as the NBA's worst head coach.

CBS Sports' Sam Quinn ranked all 30 coaches last Tuesday. Christie placed last, even below first-time head coaches like Sean Sweeney and Dusty May.

Quinn evaluated candidates on several factors: track record, performance against expectations, points of emphasis, creativity, player development, rotation management and people management.

Christie hasn't looked promising in most of the assessments. Most of his shortcomings can be attributed to an abrupt midseason shift in December 2024 and season-altering injuries last season.

Sacramento fired Mike Brown on Dec. 27, 2024, after a 13-18 start. Christie took over as the interim head coach, and the team turned things around.

He led them to a 27-24 record, even after the Kings traded superstar point guard De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs in a multi-team deal that netted Zach LaVine from the Chicago Bulls.

The team missed the playoffs for the second straight season and had a quiet offseason. They re-signed Doug McDermott to a one-year, $3.6 million contract, the only free-agent move.

Sacramento opened last season 8-25 before entering the new year. Domantas Sabonis and LaVine's star power couldn't lift the team over its competition nightly.

Christie couldn't maximize the talent, and things worsened when his star underwent season-ending surgery in February. He was forced to play the rookies, and they developed with star-like minutes.

Maxime Raynaud's second-half explosion earned him Western Conference Rookie of the Month in March and All-Rookie Second Team honors.

His growth grants the Kings coach one positive point under Quinn's evaluation, but it came from unfortunate circumstances rather than natural progression.

Sacramento enters the new season with a new set of rookies: Darius Acuff Jr., Emanuel Sharp and Alex Karaban.

Christie has a new challenge: developing the rookies while prioritizing the veterans to win games. It's a difficult task for the second-year coach, but he has to perform to keep his job and avoid the hot seat.

The Kings own their first-round pick next offseason, and with the new lottery reform rules, finishing with the fourth- to 10th-worst record increases their odds of landing a lottery pick.

A drastic change to the draft system has encouraged bottom-tier teams to win games. This puts immense pressure on Christie to surpass low expectations, but a disastrous Kings history suggests otherwise.

Christie must shock the NBA to shoot up the rankings and build a case for a new extension.