What Doug Christie Wants From the Sacramento Kings Defense

Doug Christie is building the Sacramento Kings defense around rim protection, physicality and multiple efforts.

Oct 7, 2026, 7:00 AM Updated: 10:47 am

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 05: Kevon Looney #55 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the baske...

Kevon Looney #55 of the Los Angeles Lakers drives to the basket against Dylan Cardwell #32 and Nique Clifford #10 of the Sacramento Kings in the second half of a preseason game at Golden 1 Center on October 05, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

The Sacramento Kings spent the opening week of training camp talking about the type of defensive team they want to become. Added length and versatility should give head coach Doug Christie more options than he had last season, but their first chance to test those ideas against another team didn’t go particularly well.

Sacramento’s preseason opening loss to the Los Angeles Lakers showed a lack in the areas Christie has emphasized throughout camp, starting with physicality.

“Defensively, I’m very surprised with the physicality, aggressiveness, (and) attention to detail that these guys have had during the training camp,” Christie said postgame.

“Very disappointed in not matching, or setting, actually, the physicality because that is what we want to do. We want to set the physicality of the game, and we didn’t set it or meet it.”

Christie listed several areas that broke down, including helping when they weren’t supposed to, being in the gaps, closeouts, keeping the ball out of the middle, and being “in to be out.”

After reviewing the film the following day at practice, De’Andre Hunter pointed to communication and positioning.

“I think a lot of it was just communication,” Hunter said. “Guys not being in the right spots, just being a step behind. I think that’s mostly what we saw in film.”

Big man Maxime Raynaud also described how some possessions fell apart after Sacramento’s initial coverage.

“I think it’s kind of like a multiple-effort type of thing,” Raynaud said. “Usually when you start the possession, we’re pretty good in the gaps, and then as soon as there’s a ball screen, one rotation happens, there’s a pass-pass. On that second pass, we usually get kind of stuck to our player and don’t make the effort to go.”

Raynaud also acknowledged “some ball-watching from time to time,” highlighting the Kings’ need to be better at “finishing the multiple-effort part of it.”

The first rotation is only the beginning of a chain of defensive movement when done properly. Other defenders need to stay aware to help the helper and continue filling in for each other, and it seems there is a higher emphasis on protecting the paint.

Maxime Raynaud also discussed Sacramento’s defense from yesterday and their emphasis on protecting the rim:

“Trying to be more into the gaps and trying to help more protect the restricted area. I think that’s been the point of emphasis by Woody this offseason…” https://t.co/9q9NpSEIdB

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 6, 2026

Christie used the terminology “being in to be out” to describe prioritizing rim defense while still getting out to shooters.

“More than anything, we want to protect the paint, but we want to arrive on the catch and contest threes,” Christie said.

“The ability to be in to be out, that means that you’re thinking ahead. You know where you’re going. You arrive on the catch. You’re in a defensive stance. You got a stick hand. You’re aggressive. You’re making them put it on the floor.”

Asked Doug Christie about the balance of protecting the paint and defending threes:

“More than anything, we want to protect the paint, but we want to arrive on the catch and contest threes… But the ability to be in to be out, that means that you’re thinking ahead.” https://t.co/fFOtg1aWjV

— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 6, 2026

Sacramento doesn’t want to stay attached to shooters at the expense of giving up easy paint touches.

Raynaud described his perspective, saying the emphasis has been on guarding the paint, getting further into the gaps, and protecting the restricted area before getting back out to shooters.

Those who help defenders around the basket have more size, which, in theory, should benefit their added length heading into the season. Switching, when fitting, could also help limit opposing paint touches.

“Keegan can guard one through four, one through five at times. I can do the same. Ben can do the same,” Hunter said earlier in camp. “Just having that ability to interchange like that, we don’t necessarily have a specific matchup.”

Christie made it clear that the scenario has to work in their favor if they elect to switch.

“Switching has to make sense, not just doing it just to do it, because you can switch and get a mismatch, and that’s not what you want,” Christie said during camp.

Balancing playing with Christie’s desired physicality while adjusting to how games are officiated with new points of emphasis will be crucial.

“You can’t really guard the same in the game as you’re doing in practice,” Hunter said. “You don’t have referees for most of the practices, so a lot of things go uncalled.”

Christie made it clear that physicality is towards the top of their priority list.

“That aggressiveness and physicality have to be there. That pace has to be there. Those are non-negotiables,” Christie said Tuesday. “I’ve seen it here in practice, and it didn’t translate to the court, and that’s a necessity.”

Christie and the team stressed the importance of not overreacting to one preseason game, but it was an unideal start. The Lakers provided Sacramento with its first look at how these defensive concepts hold up outside of practice, and it didn’t look great.

The Kings have more length and versatility than they did a year ago, but properly utilizing that defensively will require more than personnel changes. And the reality is that having more than last year is an extremely low bar.

Sacramento shouldn’t be expected to be a top-15 defensive unit given the amount of subpar defenders expected to play consistent roles.

Emphasizing rim protection as a unit within their shell defense, rotating properly after that, and communicating to recover to shooters seems like a priority.