Nique Clifford

Clifford took the long road — five college seasons, three at Colorado and two at Colorado State — and reached the NBA a polished 23-year-old rather than a project. Sacramento valued that readiness enough to trade up for him at No. 24 in 2025. His rookie line (8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists over 72 games) reads modest, but its shape is the story: a 6-5 wing who rebounds like a big and creates like a guard, with numbers that spiked whenever he started. In one six-game starting stretch he averaged 16.5 points, and he dropped a career-high 30 on Cleveland in February. He also became the first Kings rookie since DeMarcus Cousins in 2011 to post 10-plus points with five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a game. The 33.6% three-point shot is the swing skill; the connective tools already look NBA-caliber.