How Christie improved Kings’ chemistry with unconventional method originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Doug Christie has been pushing all the right buttons since taking over as the Kings’ interim coach, including some outside-the-box team-bonding activities.
During a recent road trip, Christie had Sacramento’s players participate in an escape room, sparking collaborative efforts in the hopes that chemistry carries over onto the hardwood.
“I always wanted to do one and check it out and I never had. I just had the thought like, we were supposed to practice and then I was just like, ‘This is a mental practice.’ And we grouped them up together,” Christie told reporters on Saturday. “It was about communication, about team building, about being there together and trying to figure something out. We’re going into a gym on the road, it’s an escape room. We have to figure out how to get out of here with a W. And that was kind of the messaging and they really had a good time.
“It was a lot of cheers, my team came in last — but we were in the hardest room from my understanding. But it was a lot of fun, lot of fun.”
Kings big man Trey Lyles described how Christie’s methods have helped the team bond in ways they hadn’t previously.
“I just think guys are in a good space mentally, physically. Doug had us do an escape room on the road and kind of just doing stuff like that we normally wouldn’t do as a team helps out a lot,” Lyles said. “Guys are just vibing a little bit more and team dinners and stuff like that. I just think everybody is in a good spot mentally right now and I think it’s showing, it’s translating to on the court and how we’re reacting on the bench and stuff like that.”
Sacramento entered Sunday’s game against the Washington Wizards with an 8-2 record under Christie, a testament to the energy he has injected into the Kings team.
After the escape room outing, Sacramento now will look to continue its spirited escape from the bottom half of the Western Conference standings as the Kings make a strong push for a playoff spot.
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