The Kings are reportedly firing head coach Mike Brown after a five-game home loss of 13-18 to start the season

Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown threw his players under the bus afterward Thursday night a four-point game from Jaden Ivey The final seconds handed the Kings their fifth straight loss. “We have to have some mental strength…we have to wake up.”

On Friday, the Kings threw Brown under the bus.

Sacramento fired Brown after a 13-18 start to the season. a story by ESPN’s Shams Charania and has since been confirmed by multiple sources. Former Kings player and current assistant Doug Christie will move into the big chair as interim head coach. Chrania and others report.

Brown helped the Kings break their record-setting 16-season playoff drought in his first season as coach, the 2022-23 season. Despite not making the play-in a season ago, Brown just received a contract extension with Sacramento last offseason that kept him with the team through the summer of 2027.

Expectations have been high for the Kings this season after the team landed its first major free agent in recent memory. DeMar DeRozan chose Sacramento (officially he came to the team as part of a three-team sign-and-trade, but chose Sacramento). ). However, the Kings have just found ways to lose – like giving up a four-point game in the final seconds – and the team is off to a 13-18 start, already three games into play have. The Kings have been better than that, boasting a top-10 offense, an average defense — which is a good job by Brown and his staff given the makeup of this roster — and a net rating of +1.2, good for a 17-14 corresponds to team. Sacramento was just unlucky in the clutch.

It is no coincidence that this is happening at a time Sacramento is trying to convince De’Aaron Fox that they can build a winner thereand there are rumors circulating around the league that he might ask for a trade. However, the question of how much of the Kings’ problems fall on Brown and how much on the front office is up for debate – after the team made the playoffs in 2023, the front office stood still and acted as if the team had arrived , without improving it. While the front office made its move last summer and brought in another player who thrives in center field, similar to Domantas Sabonis and Fox, leading to questions about fit, that proved to be a year too late.

Still, the Kings should be better than their record. A coaching change could be the push this team needs to win some close games and get back into the West after the season.