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Kings add three more to Doug Christie’s Coaching Staff

Chris Darnell, Mike Miller and Paul Jesperson are the newest additions to Doug Christie's revamped coaching staff.
By | 38 Comments | May 30, 2025

Sep 26, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns assistant coach Chris Darnell poses for a portrait during media day at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Doug Christie’s coaching staff continues to take shape as the Kings have now reached agreement with three new additions per reports from Chris Haynes and James Ham.  Per those reports the Kings are adding Chris Darnell, Mike Miller and Paul Jesperson to the staff.  The Kings had previously reached an agreement with Mike Woodson to be associate head coach, Bobby Jackson to return as an assistant and Leandro Barbosa, the sole remnant from the prior regime.

Darnell comes to Sacramento after spending last season as the head coach of the Cleveland’s G-League Team, the Cleveland Charge.  Darnell led the Charge to a 16-18 record last season in his loan year as head coach. He had previously spent three years as the Charge’s lead Assistant, and before that was a Video Analyst and Player Development coach for the Cavaliers.  He also spent several years as an assistant for both the Phoenix Suns and briefly the Utah Jazz.

Miller might seem like a familiar name but he’s not the same person as the former NBA player Mike Miller.  Miller is a longtime NBA assistant, having spent the last three seasons as an Assistant for the Washington Wizards.  Miller has also spent time as an assistant with the Washington Wizards, New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.  Miller’s time with the Knicks saw him named Interim Head Coach during the 2019-20 season after the Knicks fired David Fizdale after a 4-18 start.  The Knicks went 17-27 under Miller’s tenure as interim coach, a time during which new Kings General Manager Scott Perry was a lead executive for the Knicks as well.  Miller had also served as the head coach of New York’s G-League Affiliate, the Westchester Knicks, for two seasons during which he won G-League Coach of the Year honors.

Jesperson joins the Kings staff as the head of Player Development.  Jesperson is the least experienced of the new hires at just 32 years old with one year of experience in the G-League as an assistant for the Valley Suns, but has experience playing in both college, the G-League and internationally in Spain.  Jesperson had a very cool career highlight in the 2016 March Madness tournament when he hit a Tyreke Evans-esque game winner from halfcourt in the first round against Texas.

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RikSmits
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May 30, 2025 11:14 am

It’s happening!!!! – gif.

TheGrantNapear
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May 31, 2025 6:26 am
Reply to  RikSmits

Assembling the greatest coaching staff in the NBA!

1951
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May 30, 2025 11:17 am

Okay.

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(I’d be 0.00000074% more excited if it was the other Mike Miller!)

Kfan
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May 30, 2025 11:18 am

None of these guys has any connection to the glory era Kings!!??!!??

Kfan
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May 30, 2025 11:19 am
Reply to  Kfan

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1951
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May 30, 2025 11:37 am
Reply to  Kfan

None of these guys play PG either. /shucks

Hobby916
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May 30, 2025 12:00 pm
Reply to  Kfan

Apparently the Kings are “damned if they do, damned if they don’t”. At least two of them have decent NBA and G-League experience, while the other is younger and may bring some new energy and ideas to the game. Won’t know until the season starts.

Kfan
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May 30, 2025 12:23 pm
Reply to  Hobby916

You got the joke!

Apparently the Kings are “damned if they do, damned if they don’t”. 

TheGrantNapear
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May 31, 2025 6:27 am
Reply to  Hobby916

You’re sippin all the Kool Aid Vivek is pouring. The eternal optimist.

Hobby916
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May 31, 2025 9:01 am
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

I am not an enteral optimist. Just looking at a list of coaches being hired. Do you know if they will be good or bad hires? Just assume they are bad because Kangz?

Jack
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May 31, 2025 6:32 am
Reply to  Hobby916

At least you are partly optimistic. The guys above don’t know how to be optimistic about anything.

Jack
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May 31, 2025 6:41 am
Reply to  Jack

Or the guys below.

Jack
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May 31, 2025 7:01 am
Reply to  Jack

Maybe you all should wait until everything is said and done. Or Christie’s staff might need one or two of you to fill out the roster. This would really help. I hope things will be looking up after all is said and done then I will bring up this post. GO KINGS!

TheGrantNapear
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May 31, 2025 7:50 am
Reply to  Jack

You’re optimism is appreciated. The rest of us are not pessimists, we’re just realists.

Jack
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May 31, 2025 8:58 am
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

Thank you for some support. I to am a realist but more on the positive side than the negative side. This summer and next IMO will tell the tale. About the 3 new coaches. IMO Doug must have had a lot to do the hiring so for that I will support the hiring unless something happens to negate the positions. IMO (if Vivek stays out of the way) Perry will do his job along with Armstrong and Chtistie to bring the Kings back to a good team that will challenge for playoffs and eventually a championship. It will take some time and hard work and smart decisions. Time will tell but we all need to support at least on the positive side of realism to help those involved to accomplish those goals. We certainly can question those decisions and as Kings supporters we have a right to do so but not to the extent that it is all negative. That in itself would be complete destruction of the Sacramento Kings. GO KINGS!

TheGrantNapear
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May 31, 2025 10:25 am
Reply to  Jack

My concern isn’t the coaches, I’m okay with that and even with Perry running the show.
My concerns are two:

  1. Vivek pulling the strings from behind the scenes on roster moves.
  2. Building around a core of Domas and Lavine.

Until I have evidence to the contrary of these two concerns, I remain bearish on this franchise.

Sacto_J
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May 31, 2025 10:56 am
Reply to  TheGrantNapear

I wouldn’t call you a pessimist…

Last edited 4 minutes ago by Sacto_J
deez
May 30, 2025 11:18 am

Is this good? I can’t tell.

I’d kinda like 1-2 more well-known, well-respected assistant coaches to help round out the staff but I guess the likelihood of that is pretty slim at this point.

Kfan
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May 30, 2025 11:25 am
Reply to  deez

Yeah, someone to implement an actual offense would be good. And someone to run that non-offense stuff that I don’t know the word for because I’ve been watching the Kings too long.

TheGrantNapear
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May 31, 2025 6:28 am
Reply to  Kfan

Hey, we got Woody!

UpgradedToQuestionable
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May 30, 2025 11:31 am

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TheBaker
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May 30, 2025 11:34 am

We have highlight-worthy coaches!

RobHessing
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May 30, 2025 11:59 am

This has been your “We don’t have a 1st round draft pick to discuss” moment for Friday, May 30, 2025. Have a pleasant weekend.

Hippity_Hop_Barbershop
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May 30, 2025 12:33 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

No 1st rounder, no California Classic, just assistant coaches, assistant coaches everywhere…

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1951
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May 30, 2025 1:35 pm

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TheGrantNapear
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May 31, 2025 6:29 am
Reply to  1951

We know Ms. Anjali is the Asst to the Asst to the GM.

Klam
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May 30, 2025 1:50 pm
Reply to  RobHessing

I’m waiting for more “Just Wait Till Next Year” articles to get me through this offseason!

RobHessing
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May 30, 2025 3:47 pm
Reply to  Klam

They’re stacking up and circling like planes over Newark.

RikSmits
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May 30, 2025 1:27 pm

Jesperson joins the Kings staff as the head of Player Development.  

Who exactly is he supposed to develop?

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May 30, 2025 1:36 pm
Reply to  RikSmits

speaking of player related developments:

As a longtime Kings fan, I believe somewhere there lies the rotten core of what might be, (having seen what has been) but does anybody else figure that with today’s Zion Williamson accusation news (a self destructive guy digs deeper), that he might end up a King?
(the foot shooting team: Ja Morant, Miles Bridges, Zion Williamson. These are guys that not only shot themselves in the foot, but reloaded, and shot some more).

We can say what we want – but at the least, the coaching staff and players seem to be a group of solid citizens, which is some consolation. Yay!?

1951
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May 30, 2025 2:17 pm

The Collison/Matt Barnes/Ty Lawson Kings say hello!

Carl
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May 30, 2025 9:46 pm
Reply to  1951

The Collison/Matt Barnes/Ty Lawson Kings say hello!

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RikSmits
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May 30, 2025 10:42 pm
Reply to  Carl

“He’s just passionate and hates to lose.”

TheGrantNapear
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May 31, 2025 6:34 am

Ja Morant, Miles Bridges, Zion Williamson

Much higher ceiling than any core we’ve had since the Glory Era Kings.
We can be the new and hipper version of the Jailblazers.

TheGrantNapear
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May 31, 2025 6:32 am
Reply to  RikSmits

Who exactly is he supposed to develop?

Players like Zach, DDR, MM and Sabonis who have been in the NBA for years and haven’t won anything. Even with this foursomes combined damn near half century of NBA experience, they need developing.


andy_sims
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May 30, 2025 1:40 pm

Two things:

  1. Very much appreciate the headline’s phrasing as “Kings add three more to Doug Christie’s staff,” as opposed to “Doug Christie adds three to his staff.” I am 100% certain that Akis did it deliberately, and that it is fully accurate.
  2. Having watched the clip, if Jesperson can hit shots above the arc…
Marty
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May 30, 2025 9:44 pm

GrEaT cAReEr MoVe FeLLaS

RPO
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RPO
May 31, 2025 9:50 am

Can’t have enough nobodies on the bench…

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