The Sacramento Kings were widely criticized for firing Mike Brown as head coach but Malik Monk’s recent comments might indicate they made the right call. After the Kings blew out the Golden State Warriors 129-99 without De’Aaron Fox on Sunday, Monk was asked what it said about the team that they’re on such a roll.
“We bought in to what (Doug Christie) doing,” Monk said. “We all just bought into it right now. We all feel good and confident in what he’s saying.”
When asked why interim head coach Doug Christie’s message was resonating with the players, Monk pointed to him being a former player.
“He’s a player,” Monk stated. “He played before so I think he knows how to say it to us a little better than people that didn’t play the game before. That’s all I feel like.”
Brown never played in the NBA so it sure does come across as if Monk was throwing some shade at him. It should be pointed out, though, that Brown did play four years of college basketball, with two of them in Division I for the University of San Diego. He even declared for the 1992 NBA Draft but just wasn’t picked. So, the “he never played the game” card can’t really be used against him.
Even if Brown had never played in the NBA, his resume as a coach speaks for itself. He has won Coach of the Year twice and ended the Kings’ 16-year playoff drought in 2023.
Despite all that, Monk’s comments indicate his message was no longer getting through to the players. If that was the case, you can’t blame the top brass for parting with him after a 13-18 start. The decision has certainly paid off in the short run too.
Christie, a 15-year NBA veteran, has led the Kings to a 5-1 record in his six games at the helm. The players are buying whatever he is selling.
Monk has been playing a lot better under his new head coach. The 26-year-old averaged 15.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game under Brown and has upped his averages to 22.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game under Christie.
It will be interesting to see how long Monk and the Kings can keep up this good run. They’ll be in action next against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Friday at 7:30 PM ET.
Former Kings Player Sasha Vezenkov Took A Shot At Mike Brown
Following Brown’s firing, former Kings player Sasha Vezenkov took a shot at Brown too. Vezenkov told BasketNews that while he respects his former head coach’s basketball knowledge, he wasn’t honest with him.
“I try to learn from every coach, but I’m not going to lie to you. My experience with Mike Brown was not the best. I would never criticize his knowledge. He was the Coach of the Year in the NBA twice, so he proved something. But speaking of communication, I can’t say that our conversations were correct. He was not honest.”
Vezenkov signed a three-year, $20 million deal with the Kings in 2023. There was a lot of hype surrounding his signing as he had just won EuroLeague MVP with Olympiacos but he didn’t make much of an impact in Sacramento.
Vezenkov averaged just 5.4 points, 2.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.5 steals, and 0.2 blocks per game for the Kings in 2023-24. He found himself out of the rotation at times and that might be what he was referring to here. Vezenkov was traded after the season to the Toronto Raptors, who waived him a few weeks later. He’s now back playing basketball for Olympiacos and has found his joy again.
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