Kings' Nique Clifford Exits With Injury vs. Nets

Sacramento Kings rookie Nique Clifford injured his ankle versus the Brooklyn Nets and will not return.

Mar 11, 2026; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) gets set for a shot against the Charlotte Hornets during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The bad news continued for the Sacramento Kings, as rookie Nique Clifford exited the game versus the Brooklyn Nets after rolling his ankle at the start of the fourth quarter, and won't return.

Nique Clifford suffered a left ankle injury and will not return

— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) March 23, 2026

The Kings have dealt with injuries all season long, with seven players being ruled out before the afternoon game against the Nets. And Clifford was making his return after missing the last game against the Philadelphia 76ers with a hamstring injury.

The rookie wing is averaging 7.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on 40.8% shooting from the field and 32.8% from three. It's been an up-and-down season for Clifford, but this last stretch of the season is crucial for his development. We'll have to wait and see what the injury update is, but with just ten games left, it's hard to say how much more we'll see him on the court.

Clifford was having another game where he was doing a little bit of everything. He had seven points, four rebounds, four assists and a steal in 26:34 minutes. He only shot the ball four times, making two of his attempts (including 2/2 from three-point range), but as he's shown all season, Clifford doesn't need to score to impact the game.

Especially in the late part of the season, he's shown how important he is to the roster as it stands with injuries, which is what makes this latest injury so unfortunate. Unlike the veterans, who we know who they are, and have established themselves in the league, Clifford is still early in his development.

Running Out of Options

The Kings are quickly running out of options for minutes, and to make matters even harder, Killian Hayes also left this game early with a left toe injury.

From Kings:

INJURY UPDATE vs. Brooklyn Nets 3/22 Killian Hayes (Left Toe) - WILL NOT RETURN

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) March 22, 2026

For a team that had so many guards to start the year and an imbalanced roster, it's ironic that if either Clifford or Hayes misses time, they'll have to find out how to fill the minutes at the guard position. But, hopefully this is a small tweak for Clifford, and we get to see him back on the court sooner rather than later.

We're also to the point of the season where rushing back or playing through pain makes no sense, regardless of developmental opportunity. If the ankle turns out to be anything serious, the Kings could very well shut him down for the season. But for now, we'll wait for the injury update.