Assessing the Sacramento Kings Coaching Staff for 2020-21

Luke Walton heads into his second year as the King head coach with some new ammunition on his bench. Not only did Sacramento revamp their roster and acquire a substantial amount of talent, but they made a few changes regarding who will be roaming the sidelines as well.

Here’s a closer look at the Sacramento Kings coaching staff heading into the 2020-21 season.

Talk about hitting the ground running in your first stint as a head coach, Luke Walton began 19-0 as the interim HC in Golden State during the 2015-16 season. By the time Steve Kerr was healthy enough to resume coaching, Walton had shepherded the Warriors to an improbable 39-4 mark.

The job Walton did in Golden State earned him a shot with the Lakers where he would be the head coach for three full seasons. Unfortunately, three consecutive years missing the playoffs was enough for Jeanie Buss to pull the plug.

However, this decision was mutual as Luke seemed to be in a hurry to get out of La La Land.

Walton had apparently already begun conversations with Sacramento to become the King’s next head honcho. To put the exact timeline into perspective, Walton was fired by LA on April 12, 2019. He was hired by the Kings on April 14.

Igor Kokoskov left the Kings during the hiatus to become a head coach in Turkey. That opened the door for a new lead assistant to step in, and it didn’t take Monte McNair long to decide who to appoint to the role.

Starting with Sacramento’s new associate head coach, let’s meet the rest of the Kings coaching staff.

With more than 1,100 games under his belt as a head coach in this league, Alvin Gentry figures to be a good fit as Luke Walton’s right-hand man. The Kings HC is certainly thankful to have Gentry on board.

Another new hire joining the Sacramento Kings coaching staff is Rex Kalamian. Rex worked as an assistant in Sactown from 2007-2009 before moving onto other jobs.

The Sacramento Kings are finalizing a deal to hire Rex Kalamian as an assistant coach, sources tell ESPN. Kalamian spent the past two seasons with the Clippers after lengthier recent stops with Toronto and Oklahoma City.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 5, 2020

The plan is for Alvin Gentry to guide the offense, while Kalamian’s responsibilities will focus primarily on the defensive end of the floor.

Mermuys and Walton go back to their days together in Tucson as college kids trying to make their way. Jesse had stops as an assistant in Denver, Houston, and Toronto before joining Luke’s staff in LA in 2016.

Once Walton took the job in Sacramento, it was cut and dry that Jesse Mermuys would be following suit.

After a successful tenure as the head coach of the Ryerson Rams (of the U Sports League in Canada), it was evident that Roy Rana deserved a full-time shot in the NBA. The 52-year-old Canadian coached the Jazz in the Summer League (2014) and then helped out with the Spurs the following summer, not to mention, he was head coach of the World Select Team at the Nike Hoop Summit from 2011-2019.

Rana enters his second season as one of the King’s assistant coaches.

This analysis of the Sacramento Kings coaching staff clues you in on who will be directing De’Aaron Fox in 2021. These are the men in charge of developing Tyrese Haliburton, and these are the guys trying to maximize the potential of Hassan Whiteside.

In the end, it’s up to Luke Walton to make all the pieces fit.