Nique Clifford Is The FUTURE Of The Sacramento Kings…

Nique Clifford Is The FUTURE Of The Sacramento Kings…

It’s hard to grasp exactly what the Kings are building towards. After the breakout “light the beam” season in 2023 that saw their only playoff appearance in the last 19 years, they decided to break it up. De’Aaron Fox is gone, and with the additions of DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine they have essentially built the Bulls of the West plus Domantas Sabonis. Now they’ve added Dennis Schroder and Russell Westbrook to that mix. It doesn’t make a lot of sense. But there are some promising young guys in the group that still provide hope, like Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis. But the one that Kings fans should but that hope towards is rookie Nique Clifford. He was selected with the 24th overall pick, and Sacramento traded up to ensure that would happen. That move will look smart in retrospect. Through 4 preseason games he has averaged 14 points per game in limited minutes. His per 36 pops at 20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds and two steals per. That’s while shooting nearly 50% from the field as well. He has the composure of a vet, and his playmaking with casual one-handed assists is wild. He looks like a player that needs to be getting 25+ minutes right away, and one that may hold the most long term upside on this team. His performance isn’t shocking to the draft nerds, as he was often labeled as an underrated prospect. I had him ranked as the 15th best player in the class, and my composite stat ranking, which factored box score numbers and efficiency, had him tied for the fourth best player in the class. He just does a little bit of everything, but I’m not sure even his highest supporters saw his scoring and playmaking upside being this high. I comped him to Josh Hart for his do-it-all playstyle, but he may blow that out of the water. Nique Clifford is the future of the Sacramento Kings.

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