Kings don't get it right after coach's big speech

Doug Christie may not have more job security than his players

The passion from Christie may be what fans want to see, but no Kings head coach has job security. Mike Brown won Coach of the Year and took the Kings to the playoffs for the first time in 17 seasons, then lost his job just over a year later. Owner Vivek Ranadive has fired eight head coaches since buying the team in 2013, so continued losing could make Christie No. 9.

Tuesday, the Kings played better defense than in previous games, but couldn't stop Nikola Jokic, who scored 35 points on 16-for-19 shooting. They weren't able to meet Christie's standard for rebounding, as the Nuggets grabbed 13 more boards thanks to 15 from Jokic and seven from Jonas Valanciunas.

As for "sharing the damn ball," the Kings did a great job, tallying 31 assists against 10 turnovers, largely thanks to Russell Westbrook's 11 dimes — he also tied for the team lead with eight rebounds. Perhaps that's why Christie is leaning heavily on Westbrook this season, at the expense of young guards Keon Ellis and Devin Carter.

Christie believes that change is coming for the Kings, but it's hard to expect that to happen when the team features so many older veterans and so few young players. When Keegan Murray, the team's best defensive player, returns from injury, that should help, but ultimately building a respectable defense around Domantas Sabonis, DeRozan, LaVine and Malik Monk needs more than rousing speeches.

The Kings have a passionate head coach. If the team can't start playing defense, that coach might be around for much longer.