Mike Brown should try to replicate Warriors success in Sacramento

While Kenny Atkinson might have opted to stay with the Golden State Warriors instead of parting for a head coaching position, top assistant Mike Brown will not be returning next season as he’ll be the leader of the De’Aaron Fox-led Sacramento Kings.

The Kings have the 11th-most cap space for next season and should allow Brown enough freedom to start accruing his type of players.

The Warriors will watch Mike Brown be on the sideline for the Kings next season, and he’ll try to replicate his Bay Area success. How might that be done?

Who those are has yet to be determined, but we do know the Kings have interest in Kevon Looney, the Warriors center who was paramount in the team winning the NBA Championship this past season.

Looney could be a good starting place for Sacramento. Fox and 2021 first-round pick Davion Mitchell are the two stars in Sacramento with Domantas Sabonis likely playing a large role in the future of the franchise.

Brown wants to build a winning culture in Sacramento. That will be paramount for the former Warriors’ assistant and is an obvious goal for every coach in the NBA.

Developing that culture is easier said than done, but Brown should be as capable as any to turn around the franchise which hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2006. That was their last winning season as well.

The Kings have the fourth pick in the NBA Draft and are being consistently mocked Purdue guard Jaden Ivey. Combine what Ivey can do and how Brown has learned to use a player like Looney, and the Kings could find themselves running a similar attack spearheaded by Ivey.

Iowa forward Keegan Murray is another name that could make sense, and given his development in college, he could help streamline Brown’s desired culture.

If he can add one of those two, retain Mitchell and Fox, and also sign Looney, Brown is going to have a roster capable of being a playoff contender. They would be a difficult matchup, and with his basketball savviness, they would make a challenging side that can both defend and score.

It starts with Brown drafting prospects with a high ceiling and ends with him bringing in those championship-winning, do-it-all players to round out the roster, but I’m sure he’s already thinking of how to bring that culture to the Kings.

Mimicking what Golden State does is easier said than done, but everything is set for Brown to have success in Sacramento.