Amid rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. and the Sacramento Kings' struggles, some wonder whether head coach Doug Christie's future is in jeopardy after the Kings lost 10 of their first 11 regular-season games. Acuff Jr. led the Kings to their first win of 2026-27 in a 115-100 victory against the Dallas Mavericks. However, Sacramento has dropped its last four games since then.

Still, looking ahead to the Kings' immediate future, the team will most likely keep Christie employed, considering Acuff Jr.'s rookie season, as The Athletic's Sam Amick noted.

“The messaging is, preferably for them, would be no move all season long,” Amick said. “Then, we'll just see how ugly it gets and whether or not they can kind of withstand that pain. The issue in the spot they've put themselves in is that it does not seem like there's much appetite to just move Mike Woodson over as the top assistant, being the head coach. They are sensitive to the idea that Darius Acuff Jr. potentially would have three different head coaches in his first season. They don't want that.”

"The messaging is, preferably for them, would be no move all season long… They are sensitive to the idea that Darius Acuff potentially would have three different head coaches in his first season. They don't want that."@Sam_Amick on Doug Christie's job security with… pic.twitter.com/i2A7XRe3Hm

— Sactown Sports 1140 (@Sactown1140) November 12, 2026

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Kings head coach Doug Christie took over for Mike Brown in 2024-25 before earning the permanent label in May 2025. Since then, Sacramento is 23-70. However, Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. has emerged as the team's leading scorer this season.

Acuff Jr. is averaging 26.2 points on 41.8% shooting, 7.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game. The seventh overall pick recorded a career-high 38 points in a 136-105 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on October 31. The Kings will host the Portland Blazers in an NBA Cup matchup on Friday.