Kings Make Exciting Lineup Change vs. Nuggets With Zach LaVine Sidelined

The Sacramento Kings are gearing up to start two rookies against the Denver Nuggets.

Nov 30, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) and guard Malik Monk (0) at the end of the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center. | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings’ 2025 draft went far better than most fans (and myself) expected. Not only did the Kings trade into the first round after not having a draft pick, but they also took Nique Clifford, who was seen as one of the steals of the draft at the time. In the second round, the Kings’ luck continued as they grabbed Maxime Raynaud out of Stanford. 

Clifford’s numbers don’t jump off the page. However, the team has been thrilled with his development so far. Raynaud has exceeded every expectation so far and has become the full-time starter at center with Domantas Sabonis injured. Now, with Zach LaVine injured for their game against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, both rookies will get a chance to start together and rekindle some of the chemistry they had in Summer League. 

Sources tell the @SacObserver that rookie Nique Clifford (@NiqueOtn) will start for the Sacramento Kings tonight against the Nuggets.

— Mark Haynes (@markhaynesnba) December 11, 2025

Why This Lineup May Turn Some Heads

To be clear, Clifford is only starting because LaVine is missing the game against the Nuggets with an injury. Despite the circumstances and the fact that the Kings will be without their leading scorer, this might be the best-case scenario. The main factor is development for Clifford and Raynaud, but I’m going to make the argument that this lineup can be more successful with Nique taking Zach’s spot. 

As we all know, the Sacramento Kings’ regular starting lineup is filled with high-usage players. LaVine, DeRozan, and Westbrook have a -10.2 net rating as the most common three-man lineup used by the Kings. Their defensive rating is rough as expected, but the bigger problem may be on offense. The trio’s 111.4 offensive rating is barely better than the Kings’ as a whole and would put them below the 25th-ranked Memphis Grizzlies if we were talking about team ratings. 

It sounds too simple to say that there is only one basketball, but that’s really the crux of the problem for Sacramento’s stars. The result has been a lot of the Kings taking turns going one-on-one with their eyes only focused on the defender in front of them and the hoop, not really an offensive strategy for success in 2025. 

Nique Clifford moves his feet really well on defense.

— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) December 4, 2025

DeRozan and Westbrook are problematic as well, but it’s hard not to return to LaVine as the biggest issue for the Kings. The dichotomy of being one of the best scorers in the league while not providing much else has plagued LaVine throughout his career. Even though his defensive effort has improved this season, it hasn’t been enough to overcome his lack of playmaking. 

For all the faults that Westbrook and DeRozan have at this stage in their careers, they are both much more willing passers and can create offense for more than just themselves. Couple that with Clifford and Raynaud’s willingness to move without the ball, along with Keegan Murray’s skillset, and the Kings may have a watchable offense on their hands. 

More Than Addition By Subtraction

I do firmly believe that simply removing LaVine from the Kings’ starting lineup would be a positive change in and of itself, but there are real benefits to adding Clifford. 

First, Nique is just a better defender than LaVine, even as a rookie. Clifford boasts a better steal, block, and rebounding percentage than LaVine while being much more engaged on average. The latter may be the most important part for a Sacramento team that can fall asleep on that end, especially at the guard spots.

Nique still makes mistakes and has some issues with fouling, but the Kings are a better defensive team with him on the floor in terms of effective field goal percentage allowed and points per possession, according to Cleaning the Glass. 

Nique Clifford CAREER-HIGH 15 Points, 6 Rebs, 7/8 FG full highlight vs Heat I 25-26 NBA Season pic.twitter.com/pZywIn2DiE

— Hoops Showtime (@HoopsShowtime12) December 7, 2025

Nique is also a solid secondary playmaker as a rookie with a higher assist percentage than LaVine, who isn’t exactly a connective player. The Kings' points per possession and effective field goal percentage offensively improve by three points and 2.3% respectively, with Clifford on the floor, and I'd hypothesize that much of that has to do with the little things he does better than LaVine. 

Being able to give the ball to Nique when the offense breaks down and trust that he will make the right play is something that can make a huge impact for the Kings, who have struggled to play team basketball consistently. 

A Reason to Tune In

I didn’t spend much time on Raynaud, mostly because Clifford is the new addition to the lineup for tonight, but both guys give fans a reason to tune in. As I mentioned, there’s real evidence that adding Clifford to the starting lineup will result in a positive change, and we’ve already seen what Raynaud can do. 

As great as that is, Kings’ fans just desperately want any reason to get excited after the way this season has gone, and even if they crash and burn together, fans will be happy to finally see both Max and Nique out at center court when the game tips off.