Welcome Nique Clifford

[The_Jamal]

To Kings' management: Please don't pull a "Haliburton" with this guy. As in, another team recognizes his talent and potential and is willing to trade a high quality player, that fits a need, to the Kings in a deal Perry/Vivek can't refuse.

Could a LaVine/Clifford pairing be the similar to the Fox/Haliburton duo as related to getting each other's way?

I don't think so.

FO believed Fox was an ascending star that needed the keys to the team (which, true) and Hali of course had not broken out into the player he has today.

LaVine is in his prime, probably heading towards the end of it in a couple years on essentially a 2 year deal for a team that's on the downswing, not upswing.

I actually think Nique and LaVine compliment each other pretty well offensively as a 2-3.

 

[hrdboild]

I don't think so.

FO believed Fox was an ascending star that needed the keys to the team (which, true) and Hali of course had not broken out into the player he has today.

LaVine is in his prime, probably heading towards the end of it in a couple years on essentially a 2 year deal for a team that's on the downswing, not upswing.

I actually think Nique and LaVine compliment each other pretty well offensively as a 2-3.

It may be similar to Fox-Haliburton though in the way they'll both look worse if they're forced to take turns defending players who are much bigger/stronger than they are. Both are listed at around 6-5 and 200 lbs so neither guy is particularly well equipped to defend SFs in isolation and LaVine doesn't look good switched onto lead guards either.

 

[Jdbraver137]

The next question might be whether he can actually be a point guard. As others have mentioned, that vision is natural and easily good enough to play that position. He would have plus size and has the smarts to eventually defend too. To me the only question is the handle. Primary ball handlers need a B+ handle or better. I’d say right now he is at a B (for a guard) if that can be improved, he could be the point of the future.

This would be the only reason I’d want Westbrook on the team to prepare Nique for the future. Nique needs run to improve. Once we are bottom feeders officially Nique shout get heavy minutes at point.

 

[Tetsujin]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1979629504533544997

 

[iowamcnabb]

so why can’t he be point guard? I haven’t heard many opinions as to why he might not work at that position.

 

[Caccia]

So why can’t he be point guard? I haven’t heard many opinions as to why he might not work at that position.

It takes years of experience to learn how to run a team. Would you choose your defensive safety to start at quarterback just because he can pass the ball well?

 

[Tetsujin]

It takes years of experience to learn how to run a team. Would you choose your defensive safety to start at quarterback just because he can pass the ball well?

In fairness, Nique has even said he grew up playing point guard.

 

[hrdboild]

so why can’t he be point guard? I haven’t heard many opinions as to why he might not work at that position.

He definitely could play PG. Luka and SGA are not 'true' PG's either, just guys who see the floor well and understand the utility of finding the open man with the ball. If we were a 60 win team with championship aspirations it would make sense to go with more experience at the lead guard position but we're not that and developing Clifford into a lead guard and Keegan Murray into a #1 option are our best hopes right now of becoming a team with championship aspirations so I say, why not? Westbrook and Schröder can help guide him in the early part of the season but by the trade deadline I hope we'll see Clifford in the starting lineup full-time and handling the ball a lot.

 

[Tetsujin]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1979452267444212158

 

[iowamcnabb]

It takes years of experience to learn how to run a team. Would you choose your defensive safety to start at quarterback just because he can pass the ball well?

Im not sure that’s a good analogy. Nique was a secondary ball handler for 5 years in college. He’s initiated plenty of offense and he appears to have borderline elite court vision, something that can’t be taught. He also played point guard most of his life until he hit a growth spurt and became a wing.

 

[iowamcnabb]

Give Nique a year to learn from Denny and Russ and then hand the keys to him next year. I think he could average 13 and 6.5 as a starter next season.

 

[Jdbraver137]

Give Nique a year to learn from Denny and Russ and then hand the keys to him next year. I think he could average 13 and 6.5 as a starter next season.

Hopefully we trade off the vets and enter a full rebuild with him getting more asts

 

[iowamcnabb]

Watch his college playmaking highlights starting at around 10:20. They look exactly like what we saw against the Lakers.

 

[iowamcnabb]

The pocket pass, the transition lead pass and the drive and kick. Mike Brown would be drooling out of both corners of his mouth at the thought of all those spray threes.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

He definitely could play PG. Luka and SGA are not 'true' PG's either, just guys who see the floor well and understand the utility of finding the open man with the ball. If we were a 60 win team with championship aspirations it would make sense to go with more experience at the lead guard position but we're not that and developing Clifford into a lead guard and Keegan Murray into a #1 option are our best hopes right now of becoming a team with championship aspirations so I say, why not? Westbrook and Schröder can help guide him in the early part of the season but by the trade deadline I hope we'll see Clifford in the starting lineup full-time and handling the ball a lot.

That's why I'm intrigued by a lineup for the future of Ellis, Clifford, and Murray at the 1,2,3. Lots of length at the point of attack and on the wings, which should really help the ever present 3pt defensive issue....and if Clifford shows enough in initiating an offensive set, it could work effectively with a 3&D guard in Ellis...who has looked improved off the dribble. Also puts Keon in a more advantageous spot physically and weight wise, where he would usually be matched up on their smaller guard....with all 3 of them able to switch 1-3 and Murray able to switch 1-4.

Then the priority is a long defensive presence at the 4 to compliment Sabonis.....or look to trade Sabonis for a good 4 and then add a defensive 5

 

[SacTownKid]

so why can’t he be point guard? I haven’t heard many opinions as to why he might not work at that position.

What is a point guard really, it's all playmaking anyway. Who is Nique? A point foward, a lot like another supposed Kings crush in Kuz. The difference is Clifford has a lot more polish, a brain, and more pass than shoot crazy garbage lol. He's like Kuzma with Harrison Barnes' mindset. Some of it looks like Hali in a way too. He doesn't do stupid things which could limit the numbers he puts up at their top shelf but it'll make him more impactful. The next thing would be to see how well he can pull off drive and dish. Can he get into the paint at will and collapse defenses consistently? That's kind of what defines a PG these days. Most PG's take the ball into the restricted zone and dribble out consistently.

 

[Tetsujin]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1979994185098043851

 

[iowamcnabb]

What is a point guard really, it's all playmaking anyway. Who is Nique? A point foward, a lot like another supposed Kings crush in Kuz. The difference is Clifford has a lot more polish, a brain, and more pass than shoot crazy garbage lol. He's like Kuzma with Harrison Barnes' mindset. Some of it looks like Hali in a way too. He doesn't do stupid things which could limit the numbers he puts up at their top shelf but it'll make him more impactful. The next thing would be to see how well he can pull off drive and dish. Can he get into the paint at will and collapse defenses consistently? That's kind of what defines a PG these days. Most PG's take the ball into the restricted zone and dribble out consistently.

I agree. A 6’5 point guard would be nice and I think he pairs well with Lavine. Then find that 3 or 4 that has size, shooting and defense and all of a sudden things change pretty quickly. Just the removal of Deebo (as much as I like him) opens up for a more cohesive and better defending lineup. Keegan, Keon and Nique need to learn as much as they can from him before the inevitable trade or buyout next year (unless this year is a total surprise). Hopefully Max can develop enough to take the backup center role by the end of this year. I’m hoping for a Mo Wagner type outcome. Cardwell as the third big would be awesome if he can at least be Alex Len on offense.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

What is a point guard really, it's all playmaking anyway. Who is Nique? A point foward, a lot like another supposed Kings crush in Kuz. The difference is Clifford has a lot more polish, a brain, and more pass than shoot crazy garbage lol. He's like Kuzma with Harrison Barnes' mindset. Some of it looks like Hali in a way too. He doesn't do stupid things which could limit the numbers he puts up at their top shelf but it'll make him more impactful. The next thing would be to see how well he can pull off drive and dish. Can he get into the paint at will and collapse defenses consistently? That's kind of what defines a PG these days. Most PG's take the ball into the restricted zone and dribble out consistently.

I think of it more from a defensive perspective. If the opponent has a good quick guard, you generally need somebody who can handle that and still have some energy left for the offensive side of things. Without Shroeder as an auto starter because he was just signed,... its Keon Ellis. The guy's conditioning is elite. Barely ever breaks a sweat out there.

 

[SacTownKid]

I think of it more from a defensive perspective. If the opponent has a good quick guard, you generally need somebody who can handle that and still have some energy left for the offensive side of things. Without Shroeder as an auto starter because he was just signed,... its Keon Ellis. The guy's conditioning is elite. Barely ever breaks a sweat out there

I agree. Clifford when guarding smaller quicker guards on pick and roll more often than not ends up behind the play as well. Like Schroder he's more comfortable with the physical play. On paper the Kings have a perfect young core fit wise in Carter, Keon, Clifford, Jones, and Maxime. POA defense, paint breaking ability, and hustle in Devin. 3 and D in Keon. Playmaking and all around game in Clifford. Physicality in Jones. Spread ability in Maxime.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

I agree. Clifford when guarding smaller quicker guards on pick and roll more often than not ends up behind the play as well. Like Schroder he's more comfortable with the physical play. On paper the Kings have a perfect young core fit wise in Carter, Keon, Clifford, Jones, and Maxime. POA defense, paint breaking ability, and hustle in Devin. 3 and D in Keon. Playmaking and all around game in Clifford. Physicality in Jones. Spread ability in Maxime.

I like Carter as a bench defensive guard. Keon could actually work well as a starting 1, if you had Clifford and Murray with him at the 2 & 3. His shooting % was already elite and now I've seen signs that he is a much better shooter off the dribble.

 

[SacTownKid]

I like Carter as a bench defensive guard. Keon could actually work well as a starting 1, if you had Clifford and Murray with him at the 2 & 3. His shooting % was already elite and now I've seen signs that he is a much better shooter off the dribble.

Could end up that way, obviously that core needs a star out of this next draft. I don't know, Keon is another player that tends to end up behind the play as well when guarding quicker guards. When Devin and Keon have shared the floor together the defense has looked quite literally amazing in terms of it's potential. Devin can by far handle the physical matchups better which allows Keon to switch off and play the lanes like he's great at. Also Devin is really developing as a draw and kick player. They wanted more PG play and sorry haters, they're getting it. Nique makes a lot of plays more in the free throw line area and Devin is getting getting right into the teeth of the defense pretty consistently now. There's crossover there but they do things in different ways which is a great thing to have. When Clifford gets the ball over to him off of a paint drive that leaves the middle open which is his comfort zone from the looks of it.

I saw this video on youtube and think this is about as good of an analysis of the Kings pieces as you can get. The parts on the young guys including Carter, Keon, and Clifford are exact spot on as for a snapshot of where things are currently.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

Could end up that way, obviously that core needs a star out of this next draft. I don't know, Keon is another player that tends to end up behind the play as well when guarding quicker guards. When Devin and Keon have shared the floor together the defense has looked quite literally amazing in terms of it's potential. Devin can by far handle the physical matchups better which allows Keon to switch off and play the lanes like he's great at. Also Devin is really developing as a draw and kick player. They wanted more PG play and sorry haters, they're getting it. Nique makes a lot of plays more in the free throw line area and Devin is getting getting right into the teeth of the defense pretty consistently now. There's crossover there but they do things in different ways which is a great thing to have. When Clifford gets the ball over to him off of a paint drive that leaves the middle open which is his comfort zone from the looks of it.

I saw this video on youtube and think this is about as good of an analysis of the Kings pieces as you can get. The parts on the young guys including Carter, Keon, and Clifford are exact spot on as for a snapshot of where things are currently.

I'm going to predict that Clifford averages more floor time this season than Carter. That may or may not put me in the hater category. haha

 

[The_Jamal]

I'm going to predict that Clifford averages more floor time this season than Carter. That may or may not put me in the hater category. haha

Not a hot take at all, I think almost a certainty. Pretty much every action this FO has taken this summer is to push Carter out the door

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

Not a hot take at all, I think almost a certainty. Pretty much every action this FO has taken this summer is to push Carter out the door

and whether he is traded or not, he will have an average time on the floor for one or more teams.

 

[ShastaKingsFan]

Not a hot take at all, I think almost a certainty. Pretty much every action this FO has taken this summer is to push Carter out the door

Something a bit hotter, given your estimate that Keon will average just 16 minutes on the floor this season, would be that Clifford also averages more floor time than Ellis?

 

[NewArena]

Another switchable wing with length with Keegan and Nique would be ideal, not sure which would be the SG/SF/PF and it probably doesn’t even matter.

If OG Anonuby didn’t make like 50 million a year, I’d love him lol i think the Knicks overpaid considering his injury prone history but someone of that ilk would be lovely alongside Keegan and Nique.

 

[NewArena]

Still put up numbers. At the time you play that 36 mpg and get out on a high via trade if you're smart. This is the Kings were talking about here so all of the "busts" that have come and gone doesn't change the fact that the Kings are still the Kings. The one constant becomes more clear by the day.

Eh, with a different regime out here i can’t say that but i get it. “Still put up numbers” is something that most GM’s and scouts aren’t easily fooled by. Bagley just isn’t a very good player when it comes to contributing in the win column and not even Geoff Petrie in his prime without the Magoofs screwing us over would have the power to convince someone otherwise IMO.

 

[TheMobb]

If OG Anonuby didn’t make like 50 million a year, I’d love him lol i think the Knicks overpaid considering his injury prone history but someone of that ilk would be lovely alongside Keegan and Nique.

That’s exactly who I had in mind. Or Scottie Barnes

 

[NewArena]

That’s exactly who I had in mind. Or Scottie Barnes

Oh that would be a dream. Maybe that can come for us through the draft