Image Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Why Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown got fired in midst of season?

Jaden Ivey's game-winning free-throw on Thursday was last thing which allowed franchise to move on from Brown in midst of the season.

Image Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings fired Mike Brown in the middle of the season as the franchise took a strong call after a 114-113 loss to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. His departure came amid a five-game losing streak and a 13-18 start to the season. The big surprise is we are seeing underwhelming campaigns for many teams in the NBA this season. However, there are some reasons behind the bold move from franchise.

Sacramento Kings statement on firing Mike Brown. pic.twitter.com/vfFL085xdi
— NBACentel (@TheNBACentel) December 27, 2024

Sacramento Kings lost their fifth straight game on Thursday but the manner of the defeat is a concern. It has arguably been the most uncertain period for the Kings over the past few seasons. Sacramento are now placed as the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference.

Mike Brown’s side had a 91-77 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Pistons pulled off a comeback and cut the deficit to three points with 10.1 seconds remaining. Detroit’s Jaden Ivey scored the game-winning free throws after foul from Fox, who attempted a three-point shot from the right corner.

Shotting slump, and lack of size created problem for Kings

The Sacramento Kings are struggling in the three-point shooting this season. Their regular starts Keegan Murray, DeMar DeRozan and Kevin Huerter have been missing from beyond the arc. They are all shooting around 30% and the Kings are ranked 24th in the NBA in three-point percentage.

Mike Brown made changes in the roaster and replaced Huerter with Malik Monk. The King’s head coach made an error and created more issues in the defense. The Kings are averaging less than 50 drives per contest and their shooters are getting less open looks from drive-and-kick chances.

Mike Brown’s defensive setup is also the weakest part of the team. Smaller players are lacking to guard larger wings on the perimeter. He tries to use another defender from the bench to give his shooters wide space. Sacramento Kings rank third in opponent three-point percentage in the league at 37.5%.

What's going on in SacTown? 🤔

The Sacramento Kings are just two seasons removed from breaking their 16-season playoff drought, which snapped the longest streak in NBA history.

Since then, it has all gone downhill 📉

They missed the playoffs last year after a play-in defeat.… pic.twitter.com/3tQ697qJIt
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 23, 2024

Also Read:

Mike Brown’s inconsistent rotation was big concern for the Kings

The accountability is missing from the side; somehow, they lack a leader after looking at the roaster. Mike Brown’s rotations are clueless and inconsistent. Brown is relying on the bench because the starters are already down in the shooting. Whenever he is asked about the rotation of the bench players, he keeps defending by saying he is figuring out what works.

Due to no consistency in the rotation, players have no idea about their roles. Management strategy remains questionable and the owners were willing to take a move as early as possible. Sacramento needs to bolster the bench production and start to define roles for the key players.

Philadelphia also struggled in the previous month, and everyone was talking about Nick Nurse. Management backed him, but they also improved their errors. The 76ers are 7-10 through the last ten games and are eying the playoffs following an awful start. However, there was no improvement in Sacramento’s camp. Jaden Ivey’s game-winning free-throw on Thursday was the last thing that allowed the franchise to move on from Brown in the midst of the season.

Image Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Mike Brown

NBA 2024-25

Sacramento Kings

Gulshan Sharma

nba

soccer

wnba

A native of Jaipur, Rajasthan, journalist, and a complete soccer and basketball fan, he found the huge interest with basketball by watching videos of Allen Iverson and Tony Parker, but fell head over heels in love with the sport during the Warriors’ championship era (2015-2018). A sports game addict since his late PS1, he’s also passionate about the Eagles, Inter Miami and the Fever. He’s fortunate to have seen all his favorite teams win championships. He also has a special love for cricket and football (soccer), where he is a fan of Royal Challengers Bangalore and Barcelona.