It was not the ideal year for the Sacramento Kings. The team was a dark horse in last year's NBA Playoffs but came crashing down. Hopes were high for the Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox-led squad but they were not met. So, all they could do was re-tool and get ready to make a run this season. After all, they already made the leap into postseason contention. But, each and every part of their squad crumbled, leading to an early exit. This had fans wondering after their loss to the New Orleans Pelicans if they've seen the last of Mike Brown as a head coach.
Mike Brown's lack of NBA Playoffs success
Player development does not seem to be the issue for Mike Brown's Kings. They have gotten the best out of guys like De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk. The rapid rise of Davion Mitchell and Keegan Murray also allowed this squad to have better success en route to the NBA Playoffs. Heck, they even made it so that Domantas Sabonis became an All-NBA third-team player. So, that's clearly not the issue.
Apparently, Kings ownership is concerned about winning where it matters most. Their faithful have been starved of a deep NBA Playoffs run for the longest time. The last era where they were successful was when Mike Bibby and Chris Webber were still at the center of attention. So, what type of change is expected? It looks like they could be demanding more out of Mike Brown, or else he could be getting sacked, via James Ham.
“The failure to repeat the success of the previous year hasn’t sat well with ownership, according to sources. This shouldn’t be a complicated matter, but like everything else in Sacramento, it is,” the insider declared.
The eagerness of the Kings' organization is very palpable. Brown is slated to make somewhere between $10 million to $12 million in his next contract. Will they give him the contract he wants?
Mike Brown's time with the Kings
Prior to Brown's arrival, the Kings have not seen the NBA Playoffs for 16 years. He made it work with guys like Domantas Sabonis and De'Aaron Fox as his primary guys. With Malik Monk and Keegan Murray often giving the team a much-needed boost on offense too, there were a lot of hopes for this squad. Recent coaches like Luke Walton and Dave Joerger could not even get 40 wins off of one season. Brown, on the other hand, has led the Kings to two stints with more than 45 wins.
A big reason for their drop off in the standings and eventually their early NBA Playoffs exit was their drop in pace. The Kings ran and gunned for every possession that they were executing, much like this year's Indiana Pacers. Unfortunately, teams caught on, and their halfcourt sets were not quite as dynamic in keeping the offense alive.
Another key issue in the Kings system was their defensive schemes. They allowed 114.8 points per game which netted them 115.2 defensive rating. Those numbers were good for only 14th in the league. Drop-offs are going to happen whenever the same squad runs it back with a similar system. Hopefully, eagerness does not get the best of the Kings after they experienced a year of success.
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