The Kings’ storybook 2022-23 NBA season finally is receiving the recognition and praise it deserves, and it all points back to the man with the pen and paper.
Fresh off winning an NBA championship with the Warriors last summer, coach Mike Brown arrived in Sacramento with similar goals in mind for his young, revamped team. Like the players sporting "Kings" across their jerseys, Brown knew the challenges that came with being a part of an organization and representing a passionate city with nearly two decades of playoff-less basketball.
Brown rose to the occasion and, in just a matter of months, completely transformed the perception of Kings basketball. In his first season as coach, he unlocked De’Aaron Fox's All-Star potential, coached a historic offense and, perhaps most importantly, helped the Kings clinch a playoff berth for the first time since 2006.
The thing about Brown, though, is that simply making the playoffs wasn't most important to him. When the Kings officially locked in the Western Conference’s No. 3 playoff seed, he wasn’t satisfied. That mindset carried over to the rest of the team, too. Their hunger for a deep playoff run and an NBA championship became immense.
Despite what anyone outside of Sacramento thought about the Kings, Brown had high expectations for his squad and saw the potential from the jump. That belief allowed his players to be confident in themselves.
And that's why the 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year award, which will be announced Wednesday at 4 p.m. PT on TNT, screams Mike Brown's name.
He has been the obvious choice for months now, and received endorsements from coaches around the league, prominent media figures and NBA superstars he's previously coached, such as LeBron James.
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Brown's meme-worthy laughter and high-energy persona are unapologetically contagious. His passion for the game and genuine love for his players have resulted in magical moments all season long.
And the season is far from over.
The Kings have an early 2-0 series lead over the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the Western Conference playoffs. After the Game 2 win Monday, Brown's impact spoke through his players' demeanor.
Despite the impressive and mostly unexpected start to the series, the Kings are staying level-headed as they prepare to take the short trip to San Francisco for Games 3 and 4 at Chase Center. If Brown knows anything about his former team, it's to never count them out. And if the Kings know anything about their coach, it's that the job isn't finished yet, and there won't be any celebrations until it is.
That change in culture has been the critical X-factor for this mostly inexperienced team.
It also goes to show how important the relationship between a player and a coach is. Fox has taken advantage of Brown's impressive résumé and, in return, is having the best overall season of his career.
To no one's surprise, Fox was voted the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year on Tuesday. He gave credit to Brown and the coaching staff, and when asked what element Brown brings to the team that's worked so well this season, Fox didn't hesitate to utter the one word that's been repeated all season.
Accountability.
Fox and his teammates learned early on just how much those 14 letters meant to Brown.
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He will call a timeout in the first 30 seconds of a game if he sees the smallest defensive flaw. He will pull players out, regardless of who they are, if they don't hustle back on defense. These small practices have had a huge impact -- and it's now showing on the biggest stage in basketball.
Award or no award, Brown's impact has been felt for months in Sacramento. And it's just the beginning.
The Kings' feel-good story is far from over, so buckle up and turn the jets on as Brown and the Kings continue to turn the page and start new chapters.