Mike Brown Says He’s Changed Coaching Approach, and Now, Kings in Playoffs

For the first time since 2006, the Kings are in the playoffs. That ends the longest drought in NBA history. Sixteen long years, to be precise.

Coach Mike Brown is in his first year with the Kings. He had previously served as coach of the Cavaliers and Lakers. So he coached LeBron James and the late Kobe Bryant. He coached Kyrie Irving in a second run with the Cavs.

But in order to change the Kings’ playoff fortunes (or lack thereof), he said he had to change his approach to the job.

“When I was younger, and going into jobs, I was thinking X’s and O’s — what I could do offensively, what I could do defensively — to get the situation right,’’ Brown said, via Jason Quick of The Athletic. “But I felt in this situation, there needed to be a cultural shift, from top to bottom, bottom to top. Kobe used to tell me all the time: ‘You have to be connected.’ And in order to be connected, the soul of the group had to be right.’’

Brown added that creating a family atmosphere was key.

“There had to be an alignment of trust, and it had to start with me,’’ Brown said. “I had to be visible to everybody. I had to touch everybody as much as I could so everybody could feel my confidence as much as possible.’’

Add it all up, and Brown is the runaway favorite for NBA Coach of the Year, in one season, with the Kings. It is the most unlikeliest of stories — but the best story in the league this season.

The Sacramento Kings are in the playoffs. Last time that happened (2006), there was no such thing as the iPhone or Twitter and we were still getting Netflix movies in the mail. More hoops @WireHoops & https://t.co/4PC9jnzo1a pic.twitter.com/uVuicCDVzF

— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) March 30, 2023

Brown, of course, has always put in the work at every job. Now, it’s finally paying off.

“The working hard, that comes naturally to me. It’s what I know, and what I feel most comfortable in,’’ Brown said, via Quick. “I’m still probably not the greatest at it, but my assistants are fantastic — they are not afraid to look me in the eye and say, ‘No, you shouldn’t do that.’”

Obviously, Brown deserves tons of credit, but so does GM Monte McNair for hiring Brown and building the roster. And it couldn’t have happened without the play of point guard De’Aaron Fox, big man Domantas Sabonis, sharpshooter Kevin Huerter, forward Harrison Barnes, rookie Keegan Murray, and others.

It truly was an organization-wide, family-like effort. Just the way Brown said he wanted it.