Return of the Roar: What’s changed for the Sacramento Kings under Doug Christie?

Jan 7, 2025, 4:57 PM | Updated: Jan 8, 2025, 8:53 am

Sactown Sports writer

Sacramento Kings are riding a five-game win streak under interim head coach Doug Christie. How much of it has to do with the change, and have they done anything to convince you that the change is real?

Brenden Nunes, Frankie Cartoscelli, and Chris Watkins spend the latest Return of the Roar episode talking about all they’ve noticed with the Sacramento Kings over their recent stretch.

How much of it has to do with the change from Mike Brown to Doug Christie a little over a week and a half ago?

One of the apparent differences is the number of minutes that two-way guard Keon Ellis has been playing. The trio dove into his recent impact and discussed his postgame comments on Doug Christie giving him a longer leash.

Now that they’re climbing back near .500 this season, how has our faith in this group changed? Do Monte McNair, Wes Wilcox, and the rest of Sacramento’s front office still need to make a move? You probably know our answer.

The Kings also released Orlando Robinson, adding a bit of added flexibility. The upcoming three-game road trip could tell us a lot about the Kings recent progress.

More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports

January 7th marks the functional deadline for teams to decide on their non-guaranteed contracts. For the 2024-25 Sacramento Kings, that applied to Orlando Robinson, Doug McDermott, and Jae Crowder.

According to ESPN‘s Shams Charania, the Kings have elected to waive Robinson while fully guaranteeing the contracts of veteran wings McDermott and Crowder for the remainder of the season.

Orlando Robinson signed a one-year $2,087,519 contract with Sacramento this offseason but will only receive his $500,000 guaranteed due to the waiving.

Meanwhile, McDermott’s $2,087,519 and Crowder’s $1,655,619 will be fully paid as they remain rostered.

Moving on from Robinson also provides general manager Monte McNair and lead assistant GM Wes Wilcox another open roster spot and more room under the tax line.

Both could prove helpful in any potential trades, especially given that Kings’ ownership doesn’t seem keen on going into the luxury tax this season.

Report: Kings waive center Orlando Robinson

When is the next Sacramento Kings game?

Sacramento will leave the state of California for the first time since December 12th as they embark on a three-game road trip that begins with a matchup against the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics on Friday afternoon.

The Kings have lost six straight games against the Celtics and haven’t won a game at TD Garden since March 19, 2021.

Be sure to catch all of the Kings vs. Celtics drama right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage starting at 2:00 PM PT on Game Night before action tips off at 4:00 PM PT from downtown Boston.