Clifford broke out as a fifth-year senior at Colorado State, averaging 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals on 49.6 percent shooting from the field and 37.7 percent from deep. The 23-year-old rookie is old for a prospect, but given how he performed during Summer League, Clifford may be NBA-ready in Year 1. He doesn't have great size, but he's an exceptional rebounder and defender. He also doesn't have an elite offensive trait, but he's an efficient scorer and playmaker. The Kings used the No. 24 pick on the toolsy wing, but his fit in Sacramento is questionable. Malik Monk, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis will be the Opening Night starting five. Dennis Schroder and Keon Ellis are the top backups in the backcourt, so Clifford's easiest way to playing time would be in the frontcourt, where Doug McDermott is the rookie's top competition. Clifford won't have enough usage to be fantasy relevant in a minor reserve role, but he should be monitored closely, especially if the Kings fall out of the playoff picture early. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a two-year, $6.37 million contract with the Kings in July of 2025. Contract includes $3.42 million team option for 2027-28.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary
Clifford attended The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs and was named the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. He committed to Colorado for college and played three seasons before transferring to Colorado State, where he quickly became a star. As a fifth-year senior, Clifford averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 steals in 35.4 minutes while posting 50/38/78 shooting splits on 13.3 field-goal attempts, 4.9 three-point tries and 5.0 free-throw trips per game en route to Third-Team All-Mountain West honors. He led the Rams to a huge first-round upset over Memphis in the NCAA Tournament, and Colorado State had Maryland on the ropes in the second round before Derik Queen's game-winning buzzer-beater. Clifford looked like a polished collegiate player by his fifth season, showcasing an all-around archetype that'd make him an easy lottery pick if he was a few years younger. It didn't matter if he was facing or posting up, Clifford got to his spots at will, finishing with an array of moves regardless of how well the defense played. He was an excellent shooter off the dribble or as a spot-up option and displayed patience as a playmaker. Clifford is a plus-athlete, but he won't be able to rely on that portion of his game as much at the NBA level, especially on the defensive end. Given their style of play and time in college, Kyle Kuzma (6'9, 221 - four years at Utah) and Paul George (6'8, 220 - three years at Fresno State) come to mind when projecting Clifford's impact at the NBA level. However, Kuzma and George were both taller and heavier than Clifford coming out of college, so let's turn to Jalen Williams (6'5, 211) and Ron Holland (6'8, 205). Williams has surpassed even the Thunder's wildest dreams when they selected him with the No. 12 pick in 2022, and Holland took a redshirt year for the Pistons, whose rotation tightened after emerging as a solid contender this season. Clifford shouldn't need much seasoning and could contribute right away, but at 23 years old, he doesn't have much time to develop.
Drops team-high 26 in loss
GSacramento Kings
March 2, 2026
Clifford notched 26 points (11-18 FG, 1-2 3Pt, 3-4 FT), seven rebounds, four assists, one block and one steal across 42 minutes during Sunday's 128-104 loss to the Lakers.
ANALYSIS Making his second straight start in place of Keegan Murray (ankle), Clifford led the Kings in scoring while seeing a career-high workload. The rookie wing has averaged 10.9 points, 5.2 boards, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 threes in 12 games as a starter this season, and with Murray out until at least mid-March -- and maybe longer, with Sacramento in full tank mode -- Clifford's fantasy value is headed up.
2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Starting/Off Bench
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Days Rest
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - Vs Opp
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2024 NBA Per Game Split Stats - By Result
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Advanced Stats
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2025
Stat Review
How does Nique Clifford compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
True Shooting %
An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
Effective Field Goal %
A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
3-Point Attempt Rate
Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
Free Throw Rate
Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
Offensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Defensive Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Total Rebound %
An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
Assist %
An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
Steal %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
Block %
An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
Turnover %
An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
Usage %
An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
Fantasy Points Per Game
NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
Fantasy Points Per Minute
NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
49.1%
Effective Field Goal %
46.8%
3-Point Attempt Rate
39.8%
Free Throw Rate
15.8%
Offensive Rebound %
4.2%
Defensive Rebound %
12.8%
Total Rebound %
8.4%
Assist %
11.5%
Steal %
1.6%
Block %
1.3%
Turnover %
12.6%
Usage %
16.4%
Fantasy Points Per Game
16.5
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.7
Total
Per Game
Per 36
NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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NBA Per Game Historical Fantasy Stats
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NBA Per 36 Historical Fantasy Stats
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Historical ADP
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Kings Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Average Fantasy Points are determined when Nique Clifford was active vs. non-active during the season. Click here to view average fantasy points for a different time period.
Minutes
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More Fantasy News
Solid final line in victory
GSacramento Kings
February 27, 2026
Clifford posted 13 points (6-19 FG, 1-6 3Pt), eight rebounds, seven assists, one block and two steals across 39 minutes during Thursday's 130-121 win over the Mavericks.
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Nabs four more steals in Houston
GSacramento Kings
February 26, 2026
Clifford notched 15 points (6-11 FG, 3-7 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and four steals in 29 minutes off the bench during Wednesday's 128-97 loss to the Rockets.
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Career-high six steals
GSacramento Kings
February 23, 2026
Clifford contributed 12 points (5-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 1-1 FT), six rebounds, five assists and six steals over 28 minutes during Monday's 123-114 win over the Grizzlies.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Not expected to be traded
GSacramento Kings
December 18, 2025
The Kings aren't going to listen to trade proposals centered around Clifford, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.
ANALYSIS The Kings are not going to part ways with Clifford, who has proven his versatility as a rookie. The Kings see the former Colorado State star as a long-term building block, placing him in the same category as Keegan Murray and perhaps Keon Ellis. Don't expect the Kings to entertain any trade proposals centered around the 23-year-old.