Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, & Coach Mistry | Postgame Interviews 7.10.25

Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, & Coach Mistry | Postgame Interviews 7.10.25

just the togetherness, you know, there’s a lot of hands that helped out in that game all across the bench. You know, TK came in, changed the game, his energy. I thought like everybody across the board, including the bench, even the guys who didn’t play, we just felt very connected in that first game. And that was what my goal was in this short training camp. How for the guys and obviously kind of went a little run of his own right there at the beginning. Yeah, I know. Max plays so hard, but he’s so smart, you know, and he can play everywhere on the floor. So there’s just like he he’s kind of like limitless in his uh in his potential, you know, and um he’s gonna he’s he can affect the game in so many ways with his energy and effort, but then also his skill. And I really enjoyed watching him today and saw it today. How much did he just kind of get you guys going early, Max? Yeah. No, he he really helped us early, you know, just getting like some offensive rebounds, you know, even some sprays and doing all the little things like Max. Yeah, we look at the points, but the intangibles that he was doing was incredible in that first uh first half. You have a lot of different guys playing point guard at times, but obviously Deon gets that start in that role. Uh just what did you make of what you guys were able to do in that? Yeah, I know. I thought Devin did a great job. You know, he’s communicating with me, the play calls, he’s getting the guys in the right positions, you know, and we’re playing with different it’s not many point guards, it’s just different ball handlers because we’re trying to play so fast. You know, if we slow down, it’s just trying to find a point guard. We won’t play too slow, you know. I want to defend and I want to run and then when we have a set play, Dem is going to orchestrate it. And he did a great job, too. I know you haven’t looked at film, but what’s going to stand out in your mind when you go back and look at what to work on? Um, what to work on? Yeah. Yeah. I I just think like I stay away from the ISO ball, you know, we had a little little possession where we were sharing the ball and stuff and then it got a little iso based. Um, probably that and then defensively I just in the half court I want to touch man touch ball, you know, and that’s why they got a little loose a little bit. It’s like we got to get up into their bodies. you wanted that defensive orientation coming in. Just how do you feel like you guys did set that tone in game one? It it started with 94 ft pressure. You know, they picked up and I challenged them. Um every single day in training camp, they increased their percentage of picking up every single day, every single practice. And today I said, “Okay, you last scrimmage in our dress rehearsal yesterday was about 60%. I challenged them to do it 80% of the time.” And we chart that. We have a coach at the back, Marty Wilson, charting it. And so they went 82% today of picking up and that affects the game. It makes it a little difficult to get to your spots. All the catches are out and then it makes it harder to run your offense. What’s it mean? What’s it mean for you to get the coach to get a win in your first summer? I think it’s it I’m absolutely grateful for all the people that have helped me get to where I am starting back in Toronto at Ryerson University. Canada basketball, that foundation that laid me very layered for me to get to the NBA with George Triana and then going through Lloyd Pierce and Nate McMillan Snder and Mike Brown and all those great coaches in between and assistant coaches that I haven’t mentioned as well who’ve helped me come here and then Doug and Scott just believing in me and giving me the opportunity. Um, I just can’t thank them enough. What did you think of uh the game has today and a little bit of everything out there? Yeah, I mean he’s a Swiss Army knife. He can rebound, he can push. challenged him to I just kept saying like you get the ball you got to go you know he’s trying to run a play it’s kind of slow but he finally got it and then he started attacking the basket and you can kind of see his force at the rim and that’s what we talked about play with force Nick played with a lot of force today and how valuable is it to have both him both the rookies Nick and uh Max guys that are willing passers and and very capable in that way yeah and I just appreciate and they’re older rookies that they play the right way and that’s going to be huge when they transfer into the big team just keep playing the right way make the right play. Whether the shot goes in or not, the right play is is always the one to make. I was going back to that question earlier. I mean, because it was your first one, too. Were there jitters on your end? Um, a little bit. Um, that’s why I had the dress rehearsal. You know, I had more jitters in the dress rehearsal than I did today to be honest with you. Um, I felt comfortable out there and I just have a great bench, you know, and a lot of them have a lot of experience with Will and Jimmy and Dane. And then behind the bench, I mean, even G. And then behind the bench, I got my guest coaches who have immense experience with Jason Maxio and Patrick Tatum who does a lot of national team camps and Wil and Marty Wilson. So just having that there just really helps me and gives me the confidence. Coach, you said uh you were sending a message throughout the game to Nick. Um was that message received like in halftime and do you think it responded well to what you were telling? Sorry, what message Nick? You said you wanted to be aggressive and play right away and stuff. Was that did that happen like at halftime? Yeah. Tell him at halftime I just thought he was bringing up the ball and trying to get into a set and I said, “Hey, you get the rebound, just go push it until they stop you and then make the right play.” And I thought he did that in the second half and some they didn’t even stop him sometimes and he got to the free throw line. Good sort of jitters coming in and how do you feel like you did? Didn’t feel too much jitters, but I I definitely was a little like I didn’t know what to expect. You know, I came out a little slow, but my teammates picked me up and it was a lot of fun to just get our first game on our belt and get a win coming out of it. Dip said he talked to you at halftime kind of just being a little bit more aggressive. What’s kind of it like for you to try to have to adjust your mindset like that? Yeah, I mean coming in I’m trying to just play the right way and I I did come out a little tentative, but you know, my team needs me to be aggressive, make plays, whether that’s for me or to make a play for somebody else. So, my mindset’s got to be aggression and just making the right plays for everybody else. Is that is that familiar to you when when someone has to kind of all right, let’s go kind of pick it up, get that aggression. Uh, no. It’s on me. It’s on me. I got to come out from the jump and be better. You know, that’s I came out slow and I can’t have that. So, learning lesson and I’m going to be better next game. What did you see from, as Dip calls it, the dress rehearsal from that carried into this one, good and bad? I think just the the pace of the game, like how fast it is. It’s a different level when you’re in the game, but we we were going hard at practice. Uh and I think it carried over and you know, we were picking up full and trying to get our wind up and it’s all those different things that come together. Uh but I thought we did a good job for our first game. You got Isaiah on your team, you got Tristan looking around over the way. Just from a familiarity standpoint, what was it like to see those guys? It’s pretty cool. Uh, you know, it’s just those are my guys, so I’m happy for them that they are in the same situation as me. Uh, it’s everybody’s dream to be in the NBA. So, to see a guy that’s close to you get to the get to his dream as well and get to compete against him at the highest level, like you can’t you can’t ask for much more. What did you think of the job that Max did and the stuff you were kind of seeing in practice leading up to it? Man, yeah, Max was baller. He did a he did a hell of a job uh with show showing his all-around game, you know, shooting it, getting to the rim, making plays for others and rebounding. Uh he’s going to be great for us and it was a good it was a good showcase his first game, but he’s got to carry it over, which we know he will. Having a big like that does, you know, play making space in the floor. How much do you feel like that opens up the game for you and everybody else? It gives you so much more space because it draws the big out. you’re able to get to the to paint more and you know there’s not a big man standing there the whole time. So it definitely helps and he’s so skilled he’s able to make plays for others as well and he can drive it so it’s almost like we’re playing five out at times. He’s talking a lot too. Are you are you listening for him each time out there? Yeah, definitely. He he’s got a lot of ball knowledge. So, I definitely listen to things he says and like if I say something, I know he’s going to listen as well. And I feel like our whole team has that respect for each other cuz all the guys can play and got a lot of IQ. The first half, you started off slow, but you finished off strong with some clutch baskets at the end. Is there a clutch gene in you that’s uh got a lot of developing to do? I mean, I think so. I think just I just try and make the right plays. Um, you know, I feel like I could have been more aggressive at the start and I was playing too tentative like I said. So, I I got going towards the end. Uh, my teammates definitely uplifted me and helped me keep going and uh my coaching staff as well pushed me to be better and I knew from the jump I I had to be better. So, definitely show showed a little of that towards the end of the game, but got to start out a little smoother. I don’t know if you noticed it or not, but probably the first time you guys have heard like the beam and chanting form here, even here at summer league. Just what’s that support mean? That’s sweet, man. That’s super sweet to hear at the summer league. Like, that’s how you know you got real fans, people traveling to see you and just showing that love already. So, I can’t imagine when it’s 17,000 or however many uh is at the Golden One Center. So, it’s going to be crazy. Thank you guys. Thank you. Appreciate that feeling out process that first. Um, honestly, I would need to watch film to like really tell you this. I feel like I was really like into the moment. It was just my first time really game. It was a lot to like, you know, observe and like realize and I was trying not to think too much. So, I watched him go back to what just maybe the things that stick out in initially that might need to be cleaned up. Um, well, honestly, I I’ll answer the reverse of your question. Like, I thought we did not turn the ball over many times. I thought it was a really good positive. Um, I thought in the second half we picked up the ball like a little bit better. We’re better defensively. So, keep that going. I think these are the main two things and then I believe maybe we can rebound like a little bit better. But overall, like I think it was a good performance of everybody. Would you the cohesiveness of the team spend some time together, you know, share the ball, play hard together? How do you feel like? Yeah, I think we we did pretty well. Um, honestly, it’s hard, you know, when you put a summer league team together. uh we don’t have that much time alto together during the mini camp but um all the guys were really bought in with uh our game plan how we were going to play um and I think that was the the success of our team obviously we all want to play so at the end of the day the only way to do that is to share the ball so you uh you were talking a lot out there especially early kind of kind of directing things is that a part of your game that uh a big part of your game and how much more can we expect of that even during the regular season with the big club well I feel like that’s everything That’s everything I can bring as a as a big anchor in the defense. I’ve talked a lot with Dave. I talked a lot with our front office uh DC and our head coach as well. And they were all telling me, look, you got to be the loudest guy on the floor, being able to direct the guys, you know, call and scream left, right, pin down, all this. And then later in the game once you recognize action, being able to, you know, kill the play before it even happens. So again, they’re going to curl them. They’re going to, you know, set a set a step up, whatever. So, you know, just being able to communicate, help the guys, and then at the end of the day, when you have guards that also manage to get over the screen super easily. Makes the job every like so much more easier for everybody. So really happy with it. Is it a new thing for you then? Like kind of where you vocal at? I don’t know. Go back and watch. Do do you see them responding well to you? Uh that communication when they hear you? Yeah. Yeah. Honestly, yeah. I mean, at the end of the day, like I want them to communicate with me, too. Uh I want coaches to communicate with us. They want us to communicate. But you can never overcommunicate when you’re on the court. Uh even if you just tell the guy, yo, you’re by yourself. Like it’s just you. Um I think it gets the guy’s going bring energy. Uh and at the end of the day, just hearing where he’s talking from tells you like, okay, I have someone right here on my right. I have someone on my left. I know TK came up to me a couple times. He was like, look, if you’re on an island sending to my way, I’m going to help you a little bit. So that’s the kind of communication that give you confidence on defense and then get stops. I don’t know if you heard those fans chanting like the beam after, but even here in summer league, it seems like, you know, you can those guys travel pretty well. just what does that kind of support mean? Yeah, it was awesome. And we saw some guys at the at the airport before before we left. So, it’s really fun to have a fan base like that. Hopefully, we can bring as many wins and as much fun for them as possible. And at the end of the day, yeah, that’s what it is. A win bring everybody together. We should try the

Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, & Coach Mistry speak to the media following a 84-81 win over the Orlando Magic Thursday, July 10, 2025 at Cox Pavilion in the Kings Summer League debut.

Sacramento’s next summer league matchup will take place Saturday July 12, 2025 against the Chicago Bulls at 5 p.m.

Coach Mistry 0:00 – 5:11

Nique Clifford 5:12 – 9:05

Maxime Raynuad 9:06 – 12:15

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