One of Kings' Most Important Players Isn't Being Talked About Enough

The Sacramento Kings enter the 2026-27 NBA season with all eyes on seventh overall pick Darius Acuff Jr., and rightfully so, as the rookie already impressed in his preseason debut for the Kings en route to 19 points and four assists.

Add in the Ben Simmons comeback, the veterans in Damontas Sabonis and Zach LaVine still being on the team, Keegan Murray getting healthy again and needing to prove himself, and there's no shortage of storylines behind Acuff as the regular season inches closer.

It makes for an interesting year for the Kings, and also puts some players on the back burner when it comes to coverage, especially from the national perspective. But there's a player who is still arguably the most important to the Kings' rebuild that rarely gets brought up: Nique Clifford.

Lost in the Shuffle

Mar 14, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) talks with guard Nique Clifford (5) during the second quarter at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even among the three sophomore players on the Kings, Clifford, Maxime Raynaud, and Dylan Cardwell, Clifford gets lost in the shuffle. Raynaud is coming off an All-Rookie season, and Cardwell is already a fan favorite. But with Sabonis healthy and back for another year in Sacramento, it's Clifford who has the clearest path to a rotational spot.

Raynaud will likely be right behind Clifford in minutes, but Clifford doesn't have the same positional battle that Raynaud is facing, and it helps his case even more that this is almost surely LaVine's last season in Sacramento. Sabonis still has two years left on his deal, and he and Raynaud could be splitting minutes, with Cardwell as well, for another year.

It could be that Clifford just doesn't have a game that jumps off the screen or the box score, but heading into the season, it feels like he's one of the most forgotten about players heading into his second year with so much else going on with the Kings.

A Little Bit of Everything

Oct 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) gets a rebound during the second half against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

While Clifford's game might not stand out, his ability to affect winning certainly does. The Kings got blown out by the Los Angeles Lakers in their first preseason game, but Clifford was one of the few bright spots at the end of the night.

He finished with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 assists on 8-of-13 (61.5%) from the field and made one of his two threes. What really stands out is his ten free throw attempts. He only made six of them, but that's a huge jump from his 1.3 free throw attempts per game last season. And he was the only Kings player to finish with a positive plus minus in the lopsided loss.

It was just one preseason game, but something that stood out statistically:

Nique Clifford's 10 FTAs (only 6 made, but still) He averaged just 1.3 per game last season, and only had more than five once (9 vs. GSW)

Something to keep an eye on throughout early portion of season
— Will Z. Stats (@will_zimmerle) October 7, 2026

Even with that big performance, all eyes continue to be on Acuff, the poor defense, and the multitude of other stories surrounding the Sacramento Kings. Clifford will likely never be the Kings' best player, but taking a leap in his second year and preparing him for the starting shooting guard spot would be a huge boon to the rebuild and maybe even more important from a team-building perspective than even Acuff taking over the lead role.

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