Praise from ESPN: Stephen A. Smith says Mike Brown should be Coach of the Year
Feb 24, 2023, 2:40 PM
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 03: Head coach Mike Brown of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the first half against Sacramento Kings at Crypto.com Arena on October 3, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
You know the Sacramento Kings season is going well when Stephen A. Smith is singing the praises of coach Mike Brown.
On Friday’s episode of First Take, Stephen A. Smith was speaking about the possibility of the Lakers making the playoffs when he pivoted to Brown and the Sacramento Kings.
As of Friday afternoon, the Kings are 33-25, the three seed in the NBA’s Western Conference with just over 20 games remaining.
“Mike Brown is doing one hell of a job. If the season were to end today, I think Mike Brown is the Coach of the Year by a landslide and it’s not even close,” Smith said on First Take. “To take the Sacramento Kings, that abyss, that purgatory, to literally arrive there in his first year and to have them as a top three seed in the Western Conference, every time I’m waiting for them to lose, they turn around and keep winning.”
Smith went on to also praise the play of De’Aaron Fox, Domantas Sabonis, and “this kid out of Iowa, [Keegan] Murray, that they drafted.”
“Mike Brown is doing a hell of a job and he deserves a lot of credit. De’Aaron Fox, Sabonis, give them some love. This kid out of Iowa, [Keegan] Murray — the kid can play. Give him some love too.” pic.twitter.com/4MqhcZp9wO
— Tristi Rodriguez (@tristi_r14) February 24, 2023
Being in the third seed is a unique position for Brown and the Kings to be in. Earlier this week, the coach said teams are going to be gunning for the Kings. And he’s interested to see how his guys respond.
“Being the ‘hunted,’ as you say, is going to be a little bit different now than what it was in the first two-thirds because of the intensity of the games, and everything else that comes along with it,” Brown said.
“[Teams] are gunning for us because they want what we have.”
🎙️ Coach Brown on the level of competition he expects to face over the final 25 games of the season pic.twitter.com/7ldokic9Fx
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) February 22, 2023
The Sacramento Kings entered the 2022-23 season hoping to break a 16-year playoff drought. After hiring Mike Brown as the team’s new coach, the Kings drafted Keegan Murray as the number four overall pick. They continued to make moves over the summer, trading for Kevin Huerter and signing multiple free agents, including guard Malik Monk. All these moves have propelled the team into territory fans haven’t seen in nearly two decades, a playoff berth.
Follow Kings beat reporter Frankie Cartoscelli for the latest Kings news and information throughout the season. Want more Kings coverage? The Return of the Roar podcast, hosted by Chris Watkins and Frankie Cartoscelli, is a weekly Sacramento Kings podcast following all of the latest news and storylines in the Kingdom. Plus, you can listen to every game live on Sactown Sports.
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