Kings Face One Big Question Before NBA Offseason

Christie took the Kings' job over as an interim when the franchise decided to fire Mike Brown 31 games into the 2024-25 season. Through 51 games as an interim, Christie led the Kings to a 27-24 record and a spot in the play-in tournament, doing enough to earn him the full-time position ahead of the 2025-26 season.

However, everyone knows how bad the Kings have been in Christie's first full season as the head coach. Not many franchises will keep their head coach after such a disastrous year, but the Kings might be an exception.

In his defense, Christie was dealt an unfavorable hand this season. From the jump, the roster was poorly constructed with no chance of success. Sure, they were expected to at least fight for a playoff spot, but many fans are ready to place the blame for this season on the front office before turning on Christie.

To make the questionable roster even less effective, injuries continued to pile up. Domantas Sabonis played just 19 games before season-ending surgery. Keegan Murray played 23. Zach LaVine played 39. These three starters played a combined 81 games, not even enough for a full season.

The Kings never had a fully healthy starting lineup, as anything Christie had planned for the season went down the drain. Of course, Christie could have done a better job of making adjustments, but being too hard on him after this season could be a mistake.

As long as Christie is not losing the locker room and connects with their young core, there is no real reason to fire him this offseason. Nobody expects the Kings to compete for a title next year, so running it back with Christie to give him another shot with a revamped roster and (hopefully) better injury luck is likely the best decision for the Kings.

Granted, the NBA coaching carousel is a harsh business. While I do not think the Kings will send Christie packing, it should not shock anyone if they do. And, to be fair, there is a possibility that Christie is simply more effective as an assistant coach.

Before the Kings make any drastic roster changes this offseason, they will need to evaluate Christie's future and decide if he is the best man for the job moving forward. While he might not be, they should give him another year to prove himself after such a disastrous 2025-26 season.