Sacramento Kings Rookies Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud SHINE in their Summer League Debuts

Sacramento Kings Rookies Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud SHINE in their Summer League Debuts

Woo! Scott Perry might have cooked, Nick Clifford, and Maxim Raino put on a show in their summer league debuts as the Kings defeat the Orlando Magic in Las Vegas. Oh yeah, we’re definitely overreacting to one summer league game right here on Locked on Kings. You are Locked on Kings, your daily Sacramento Kings podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day. And now, ladies and gentlemen, it is that time. Time for another episode of Locked On Kings. Hello and welcome into Locked on Kings, your podcast hub for Sacramento Kings coverage all offseason long. Today’s episode is brought to you by Monarch Money. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code locked on NBA at monarchmoney.com for 50% off of your first year. My name is Matt George. I have the privilege of being your host here. I’m a Sacramento sports anchor and reporter for ABC 10 News. And man, I’m feeling the the the FOMO, the fear of missing out, right? not being in Las Vegas to see the rookie debuts of Nick Clifford and Maxim Reo. Both of those kids, young men, they shined on that summer league stage. And of course, take what I am, everything I’m saying with a grain of salt. Understand the joke behind my words in the introduction. It’s one summer league game. It’s not a disaster for those who played poorly. And it doesn’t mean that Maxim and Nick Clifford are going to be NBA Hall of Famers, but it’s fun to enjoy when your two draft picks have two very different but still very, very solid performances in a Kings win, right? It’s good to have Kings basketball to some extent back. And it’s especially fun to be uh celebrating a win here on Locked on Kings. Those of you who were with me a lot last season, especially over the second half of last season, are hopefully enjoying having a little bit of optimistic fun Matt George back here. This game was fun, right? This game was a lot of fun and it started with Maxim Reno. Maxim Reno absolutely dominated the first quarter of this game. The Frenchman selected 42nd overall, the King’s second round pick. And I’ve been sharing with you the reason I believe why Maximo fell to 42 is because his camp wanted to be drafted by the Sacramento Kings. You hear a lot about the second round being more about agents kind of orchestrating where they want their player to go and less about a team selecting a player. Of course, there has to be mutual interest, but I don’t believe there are 41 players in this NBA draft better than Maxim Reno. In fact, a lot of people had Maxim as one of the top like 25 27 players in this draft. But he fell to Sacramento at 42 because he wanted to come to the Kings. The Kings clearly wanted him and he showed why right out of the gate with his fantastic first quarter. For the game, he had 16 points on six of 11 shooting from the field, five rebounds, a couple of assists, and a steal. But in the first quarter, he had 11 points, shot a perfect four of four from the field, including a three-pointer, had two rebounds and a steal. The steal resulted in a coast to coast slam from a 7 foot2 center. You love to see that from Maxim Raino. His jumper a little bit funky mechanically. Not the cleanest, most pure looking jump shot in the league, but hey, it goes in and he was hitting nothing but net, especially in that first half. The spacing, oh my goodness, the spacing of having a sharpshooting 7footer on the floor was amazing, right? Being able to have him in the corner on the wing, even top of the key at all times. so the guards or Isaac Jones could get downhill and try to attack the basket and there’s not a sevenfooter in their way. Right? I’ve I’ve drawn comparisons to Brook Lopez. Not that Maxim Reno is a Brook Lo Lopez archetype or will have the phenomenal career that Brook Lopez has had. But what Brook Lopez has turned into in this league, what he turned into for the Milwaukee Bucks as this rim protecting center who’s a solid rebounder who on the offensive end of the floor is just a poacher on the perimeter who is always outside ready for the kickout pass, ready to catch and shoot. The Kings have needed that for years. If you listen back to the Locked on Kings podcast over a over the last handful of years, I’ve talked probably five, six different times about how great it would be for the Kings to have Brook Lopez or a player like Brook Lopez. Maxim Reno can potentially be that. Again, I’m not declaring him it over one summer league game, but he showed us the potential and how great it is to have that spacing from a 7foot center. But I like that his first bucket was actually in the post. His first bucket as a king. He gets the ball on the block back to the basket. Nice spin move, one-handed finish at the rim. Look, sevenfooters should also be able to play in the paint and around the rim, too. But the modern center needs to be able to step out belong beyond the free throw line. Maxim Reno showed off both aspects of this game. Uh, and I love how fearless he was on offense, right? You’re not talking about a guy that was a little maybe nervous to play in his first game in the NBA, even if it’s just the summer league, right? There were no nerves. There was no fear. Maybe this comes from the fact that he had four years of college experience and is an older rookie, but he stepped into this game and said, “Give me the freaking ball and I’m going to look to score.” He knew what he did. He knows his skill set. He knows what he does. He showed it right away. A fantastic first quarter from Maxim Raino and Scott Perry spent some time in the fourth quarter of this game joining the broadcast team. They always do these interviews uh with the general managers or the executives and I’m sure Doug Christie who’s of course there in Vegas will do an interview with them in a future game at some point. But Scott was asked about Maxim Reno and he pointed out something that I completely agree with. He pointed out what stood out to him about Maxim right away is moving his feet on the defensive end, right? Moving his feet, being able to step out to the perimeter, stay in front of guys, not getting blown by. Scott was really impressed by that. And that’s good to see considering foot speed was one of the things that we saw that was a criticism of Reo’s game at least amongst draft experts and in his draft profile before the Sacramento Kings selected him. So the foot speed looked better defensively. If I have any gripe with Maxim Marino from this game, I need him to be stronger when he contests shots. He’s got this unbelievable wingspan as a 7 foot2 uh center, right? And the amount of players that had to shoot floaters over the top of Maxim, like it just shows how he can change a shot simply by being on the floor. However, a lot of times when he’s contesting shots at the rim and trying to block shots, he’s doing so off the back foot. I understand and and we learned this a little bit from uh Kyle Smith from the U Stanford Cardinal and the interview I did with him very very recently. Stanford, their coaching staff, because they relied so heavily on Maxim, who shot like 16 field goals a game for Stanford, they encouraged him defensively to not try and hunt shot blocking opportunities because they didn’t want him to get into foul trouble. They needed him on the floor offensively. Well, the Kings are going to need more shot blocking from Maxim Reno than what Stanford expected of him. Oh, my light went out. Sorry about that, video viewers, but it it’s it’s dead. We’re going to keep on going. the the the he’s you can see that he’s still a little bit too passive contesting shots at the rim right on the back foot a lot and in summer league you have a billion fouls there are you can’t foul out like I would rather you be aggressive and get into foul trouble by trying to block shots than the kind of on the back foot putting his hand up but not really I mean he didn’t have a block in this game. And there were a couple times where Scout Levisier, of course, reigning NBA GLeague champion with the Stockton Kings, playing for the Orlando Magic G-League team at 29 years old. And he went right at Maxim a couple of times and scored on him in the paint. Like I I just need to That’s where we see like Maxim needs to get stronger. I would like to see it there on the defensive end and him be a little more aggressive and assertive when trying to block shots. That’s the main gripe that I have with him. But the foot speed on defense looked better. Offensively, he looked fantastic. So, I mean, you’re not going to find too many things for me to be disappointed at with that first game by Maxim Reno. Now, the question is, can it continue? What does it look like next game on Saturday? They take on the Chicago Bulls, I believe. Hopefully, he can follow up this performance with another impressive performance. But the Kings first round pick, Nick Clifford, had almost an opposite game. I’ll explain in just a second. Like I said at the top of the show, today’s episode of the Locked On podcast is brought to you by Monarch Money. Ever wish managing your money felt easier? With Monarch Money, it can be easier. Whether you’re growing your savings or planning a big purchase, Monarch puts you in the driver’s seat. It’s like having your own personal CFO, giving you full visibility and control over your finances. Monarch Money is more than just a simple budgeting app. It’s a complete financial command center. 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It’s all in one place for you. Plus, if you have a partner with separate bank accounts, joint bank accounts, Monarch Money makes it easy to manage all of those without any of the added stress. Take control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code locked on NBA at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. That’s monarchmoney.com code locked on NBA for half off your first year. Maxim Reno was the king of the first half, but Nick Clifford was the clutch player of the game in the fourth quarter. Nick Clifford tonight 17 points, four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a block all over the stat sheet in his debut for Sacramento. the 24th overall pick. Got off to a slow start. At halftime, he had just one point which was from the foul line. 0 of four from the field. Right. The Kings built up to a seven point uh 17, excuse me, point lead in that first half. Largely led by Maxim Reo. Nate Clifford wasn’t really a part of it. Then in true Kings fashion, Sacramento blew that 17point lead, right? It got all the way down to a tie game before Nick Clifford went coast to coast off of the defense or off of the inbound, right? The the the Magic come and tie the game. Nick gets the ball off the inbound, goes coast to coast for the strong layup to retake the lead. Kings get a stop. Next possession down the floor, Devin Carter does well to attack the basket, touch the paint. We’ll talk more about Deon’s performance later on in the show. Finds Nick Clifford in the corner. Nick attacks baseline, slam dunk to put up to put the Kings up by four and they were able to hold on to ultimately win this game. In the fourth quarter alone, Nick Clifford scored 11 points, shot four of seven from the field, had three rebounds and an assist. So, Maxim Reno got the party started for Sacramento, but Nick Clifford came up clutch and closed this win out for the Kings. That is awesome to see from your first round pick. I thought defensively he had some really solid fundamental moments. Now, he did foul a little bit too much, right? I can’t be complaining about saying Maxim Reno, you have unlimited fouls, so foul as much as you want. And then complain about Nick Clifford’s fouling. But he he got a little handsy at times. He had one defensive possession in the first half that I thought was really encouraging. He and Devin Carter are defending the perimeter. Nick fights through a screen and then switches onto Carter’s man. Communicates to Carter, hey, drop down and take my man. I got the ball handler. Then the ball handler looks to try and turn the corner and attack the basket. Nick uses his feet, keeps his body upright, stays in front of the ball handler so he doesn’t get that lane to the rim. The ball handler then goes up with the shot. Nick is called for the foul because there was contact. So that was the only problem with the play, but ultimately I thought that was a really fundamentally sound defensive possession that shows the versatility of Nick Clifford on the defensive end. communication was really solid for a rookie showing some of the the age, right? So, the experience of five years of college basketball, I thought he came in uh and looked looked he didn’t look like a rookie. I felt in in this summer league game. If I have a a gripe against Nick, just like I had a gripe against Maxim, I thought that and I felt especially in the first half, that Nick passed up a few too many wideopen threes. And there were a couple times where you could tell he was trying to make the right play. The defender was closing out, so he’d ball fake or pump fake and then put the ball on the ground. A couple of them resulted in good looks, like he dribbled to the elbow and then pulled up from the elbow. Missed missed those shots a couple of times. Look, in Doug Christiey’s offense, assuming Doug is carrying over his wanting to get upwards of 40 to 50 threes a game uh from last season, if that carries over and Doug Christiey’s offense, you got to let that shot fly. If you’re open from three, if you have that that green line on the perimeter and that space, let it go. Even if you miss, even if you go one of eight from three-point range, doesn’t matter. Like, let that shot fly. And again, it could be the first game jitters. could be wanting to make the right plays. I thought the broadcast team pointed out that a lot of times rookies in their first game focus on trying to establish themselves in different areas rather than focusing on their overall game. So maybe he was more focused on like attacking the basket or or putting the ball on the floor. But I I I need to see him let that shot fly a little bit more. We didn’t get to see Nick handle the point guard responsibilities as much as I thought we would because I I’ve shared with you that I’ve been told that there are some in that front office in the Kings organization that believe that Meek can compete for that backup point guard spot right away. So, we didn’t get to see it too much, but he had moments like that coast to coast layup in the fourth quarter where he did take control of the ball, did take control of ball handling responsibilities and it resulted in some good things. But the point guard position has been a major of a major topic of conversation of course all offseason long. It was also a major focal point for Kings fans and the Kings themselves in this game and Devin Carter got those primary point guard responsibilities. We’ll break down how he did in just a second. Again, we don’t want to overreact to one summer league game. we can celebrate and enjoy the really really good performances that Maxim and uh Nique had but with the understanding that it’s one game. Let’s enjoy it. Let’s have fun, but it’s one game. I make sure to establish that because on the flip side, guys who struggle, we can acknowledge the areas in which they struggle, be maybe disappointed in certain areas, but again, it’s just one game. And in the case of Devin Carter, not only is it just one game, it’s one game at a position primarily as at the point guard that he admittedly, he said it himself, has not played until now in the NBA. The one area that I’m most disappointed with Devin Carter’s performance, eight points, two of 14 from the field, three rebounds, two assists. Did only turn the ball over one time, which I thought was encouraging for the point guard’s position. He did not look like the leader and the star of that team that I think he should be. Right. You you were the lottery pick of the Sacramento Kings last season. I understand you missed half of last season with that shoulder injury and there were times where it looked like the shoulder was still bugging him a little bit, but like you’re going into year two. There are expectations of you. Also, I know Devin probably has a chip on his shoulder. He’s very aware that his name has been brought up in in trade talks and trade scenarios. So, he has something to prove a little bit and he has the opportunity on this team maybe next to like Mason Jones of being the guy. And I I did not get at any point did not feel that Devin was the guy of that Kings team. The jumper is still ugly and it wasn’t fall. And to be fair, a couple of the threes that Devin Carter took were like end of the shot clock heaves, so he kind of had no choice. I felt that Devin did a really good job attacking the paint. Like paint touches are so important. I know that was more of a staple of Mike Brown’s offense than it is like Doug Christiey’s, but it’s still very, very important to get downhill, to touch the paint, draw the defense in. Devin was responsible for a couple of the open threes and open shots that the Kings had. So, I felt that one of the point guard responsibilities is to also be able to to right get downhill and draw that defense in. And Devin was looking to do that. He was attack-minded, putting the ball on the floor, trying to get to the basket all game long, which I was very happy to see and thought he did a solid job with that. You could tell though that the Magic and their scouting report, they knew that Devin Carter was handling some responsibilities at the point guard position that he doesn’t normally handle. They were attacking him right when he would cr cross cross half court. They were all over him just trying to make him as uncomfortable as possible. Again, according to the box score, only one turnover, which is encouraging, but you could tell that Devin was uncomfortable. Devin was uncomfortable pretty much the entire time. He did not look comfortable and it just doesn’t look natural. Again, it’s not just one summer league game. It’s his first real game doing this as a point guard. So, there’s no need to freak out about it, but you can tell like what do we know Devin Carter to be? When the Kings drafted Devin Carter last year, whether they should have taken him or not, and I think you know how I feel, the Kings, I don’t think Monty McNair should have ever drafted Devin Carter for this team last year, but he did. It is what it is. And it’s Devin Carter’s rebounding. It’s his his defense, right? It’s the wingspan that he has for his size, how well he can rebound because of that that wingspan. Like that’s that’s Devin Carter’s game. And I feel like with him focusing on these point guard responsibilities, which yes, the Kings need, he just didn’t I didn’t feel like Devin was able to be himself really at all in this game. And I understand that in Sacramento, Devin’s route to playing time might be learning the backup point guard position, but if your strengths are not going to be emphasized, then you’re not a good fit. You’re not the right fit. Again, just one game. We’re not overreacting too much, but it may make sense or point to as the reason why like Scott Perry is willing to move on from Devon and is has been looking to move on from Deon or at least including him in trade conversations all offseason long. Again, Perry in his interview with the broadcast team was talking about the point guard position and and what he shared that that caught my ear is basically he said like we’re still looking at the point guard position and and not in a sense that like we’re looking on our roster to see who can handle it. He meant like we we went out and got Dennis Shruder but we’re still keeping our eye on the market whether that’s Russell Westbrook, you know, Cam Payne is all a sudden Cameron Payne has all of a sudden been like brought up a lot. The Kings do have their MLE that they were able to keep as part of the Dennis Shruder signing trade with Detroit. So, it would make sense and especially if if Scott Perry’s there watching this game from Devin Carter, he probably wasn’t too reassured about Carter’s ability to in the short term in the interim hold those responsibilities down. But I I also know just like we shouldn’t, I know Scott’s not gonna overreact to one game, but any reservations that he might have about Devin, some of them were probably proven right by Deon’s performance today. He get he deserves more opportunity. He will get more opportunity as the summer league rolls on. Couple other performances to point out. I me mentioned Isaac Jones earlier. He had a a pretty solid performance, 11 points, got to the foul line nine times, knocked down seven free throws, which is good. Six rebounds, a couple of the steals. Then Mason Jones does what Mason Jones does, right? He is just a pure scorer. 17 points, five of 10 from the field, three of seven from three-point range. I thought the Kings team defense was really solid, right? They were aggressive. They were active. 12 steals and hold held the Magic to 42% shooting from the field and 31% from three-point range. Overall, a summer league win. The Kings rookies looked fantastic. That’s a great day. That’s a great first night in Las Vegas for the Sacramento Kings. and I can’t wait to see what they do Saturday. Now, I want to hear from you, your thoughts on this Kings summer league debut performance for their rookies, for the team as a whole. Hit me up. Let me know at matte sack on Twitter. Email me [email protected] or feel free to leave your thoughts in the YouTube comment section down below. Appreciate your support as always. Can’t wait to have you join me on the next episode of Locked On. Until then, my name is Matt George. You’ve been listening to the Locked Onings podcast, part of the Locked On Network.

Matt George reacts to Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud’s breakout performances in the Sacramento Kings’ win over the Orlando Magic to open Summer League.

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Sacramento Kings Rookies Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud SHINE in their Summer League Debuts
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