The Sacramento Kings have long been the laughingstock of the NBA in recent years, failing to make the playoffs for the 16th season in a row this year. That marks the longest playoff drought in NBA history.
Given the team’s woes, there has not been too much stability in the organization for their head coaching position. They’ve gone through three coaches since the 2017 season.
The team now has their latest head coach for next season in Golden State Warriors assistant coach Mike Brown.
Brown is best well known for his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers, where the team had some success with the help of a young LeBron James from 2005 to 2010.
He was able to secure a coach of the year award in 2009 for breaking the team record with 66 wins that season.
Other than that stint with the Cavaliers, he has not been too successful as a head coach. He had a short stint with the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by a reunion gone wrong with the Cavaliers in 2013.
Brown has been a big part of the Warriors’ success as an assistant coach under Steve Kerr, and this success was enough to garner a big vote of confidence for the Kings to make him their new head coach.
The organization seems to believe that Brown can make a big impact right away for the Kings.
According to NBA insider Marc Stein, the Kings organization expects the team to make a leap next year similar to what the Minnesota Timberwolves did this season after being one of the worst teams in the 2020-21 NBA season.
“Candidates were told that team officials are counting on a Minnesota-esque surge in the standings in Year 1 after a league-record 16 consecutive seasons out of the playoffs,” Stein wrote. “The Wolves went 46-36 in Chris Finch’s first full season on the bench to secure just the club’s second playoff berth in an 18-season span.”
That is definitely a very optimistic expectation from an organization that has not made the playoffs since the 2005-06 season, especially after trading Tyrese Haliburton, who seems like he has a very bright future in the NBA for years to come.
From the way that this report from Stein made it sound, Brown may be on the hot seat early and often if the season doesn’t go to plan for the Kings next year.
