Nique Clifford

23-Year-Old GuardG
2024 Fantasy Outlook
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
RANKS
Current Season
From Preseason
#405
ADP
$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.

Provides lift in win
GSacramento Kings
December 7, 2025
Clifford accumulated 15 points (7-8 FG, 1-1 3Pt), six rebounds and one steal in 18 minutes during Saturday's 127-111 win over Miami.
ANALYSIS
Clifford finally found his groove on the offensive end, supplying a season-high 15 points and leading the Kings' bench in scoring. The rookie first-rounder's performance Saturday is encouraging, as he hadn't scored in double figures since Nov. 9. After seeing significant run early in the season and eventually falling out of favor in mid-November, Clifford's playing time is finally trending back in the right direction. He has logged double-digit minutes in three straight games, averaging 7.3 points and 2.3 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game over that stretch.
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2025
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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 %
49.4%
 
Effective Field Goal %
46.7%
 
3-Point Attempt Rate
42.7%
 
Free Throw Rate
24.0%
 
Offensive Rebound %
4.2%
 
Defensive Rebound %
14.1%
 
Total Rebound %
9.0%
 
Assist %
12.6%
 
Steal %
1.1%
 
Block %
1.5%
 
Turnover %
10.3%
 
Usage %
13.2%
 
Fantasy Points Per Game
11.2
 
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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Kings Depth Chart
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Kings Rotation: Minutes Breakdown
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Average Fantasy Points
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.
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More Fantasy News
Scores eight points in loss
GSacramento Kings
November 21, 2025
Clifford logged eight points (2-3 FG, 2-2 3Pt, 2-4 FT), two rebounds, three assists and two steals across 19 minutes during Thursday's 137-96 loss to the Grizzlies.
ANALYSIS
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Sees 31 minutes in blowout
GSacramento Kings
November 13, 2025
Clifford had nine points (3-11 FG, 1-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and four assists over 31 minutes during Wednesday's 133-100 loss to Atlanta.
ANALYSIS
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Starting Wednesday
GSacramento Kings
November 5, 2025
Clifford will be in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game against the Warriors, Matt George of ABC 10 Sacramento reports.
ANALYSIS
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Fares well off bench
GSacramento Kings
November 4, 2025
Clifford racked up eight points (4-9 FG, 0-2 3Pt), one rebound, three assists and one block in 19 minutes during Monday's 130-124 loss to the Nuggets.
ANALYSIS
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Held scoreless in return
GSacramento Kings
November 2, 2025
Clifford (hamstring) logged zero points (0-1 FG), three rebounds and one block in 16 minutes off the bench in Saturday's 135-133 win over the Bucks.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Not available in trade talks
GSacramento Kings
November 23, 2025
The Kings won't entertain trade proposals for Clifford, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line.
ANALYSIS
Even though the majority of the Kings' roster could be available via trade, that won't be the case with Clifford. The organization believes the rookie, who was a first-round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, can be a part of the team's long-term core next to Keegan Murray and possibly Domantas Sabonis.
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