Young Kings Duo Leave a Little To Be Desired in G League Game

Devin Carter and Nique Clifford both put up big numbers in their G League appearance, but left a little to be desired against the lesser competition.

Dec 3, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Nique Clifford (5) shoots outside against the Houston Rockets during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-Imagn Images | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

The Sacramento Kings assigned both Devin Carter and Nique Clifford to their G-League team recently and both faced off against the South Bay Lakers. Carter had been assigned earlier and may still spend more time in Stockton while Clifford was recalled to Sacramento. Clifford has had a lot of time with Sacramento, but Carter has yet to get any significant playing time and hadn’t had any game action for nearly a month.

For both Carter and Clifford, joining the Stockton Kings was a way for them to show off more of their game and get some extended, competitive minutes. Below we’ll dive into each of their nights and talk about what the team might be looking to see from them in the G-League.

FINAL: Kings defeat the Lakers, 112-99.
 
👑 Devin Carter: 25 PTS, 8 REB
👑 Isaiah Stevens: 19 PTS, 8 AST
👑 Nique Clifford: 16 PTS, 7 REB
 
Kings Win presented by @RedHawkCasino pic.twitter.com/V1uU3XCHSJ

— Stockton Kings (@StocktonKings) December 10, 2025

Devin Carter

Carter had a solid game scoring, with 25 points, and grabbed eight boards in 32 minutes of action. Despite leading the team in scoring, his offensive game left a lot to be desired.Carter shot just 7-19 from the field and 2-8 from three which comes out to 37%, not the kind of number you’re looking to see from a lottery pick playing in the G-League.

Carter did knock down all five of his free throws, which is a good sign for his shooting overall, but we can’t overlook him shooting under 40% from the field just because he shot well from the line. 

what a performance tonight from devin🔥 pic.twitter.com/n6SRSnhF9s

— Stockton Kings (@StocktonKings) December 10, 2025

Carter is a relentless defender who uses his long wingspan and athleticism to his advantage, but the issue is Carter’s offense hasn’t been good enough for him to get on the court. If Carter were a wing or a big, his offensive struggles might not prevent him from seeing time at the NBA level, but at just 6’2” he really needs to be able to shoot to stick in the lineup. So far in his career, Carter is just 20-72 from three, which comes out to just under 28%. 

Against South Bay, Carter didn’t give us much confidence in his shot and I’d venture that the team was specifically looking at that aspect of his game. Beyond the numbers (and one bad airball), one thing that I noticed was that both of his makes from deep were off the dribble where he’s able to rock himself into a rhythm contrary to the catch and shoot opportunities he would see more of with Sacramento.

More Sacramento Kings News: Doug Christie Praises Kings Rookie Following Strong Stretch

Devin had some nice moments with the ball and was solid on the defensive end as mentioned, but his overall performance fell short of what I would expect from him and that mostly had to do with his shooting.

Nique Clifford

Like Carter, Clifford defended and rebounded well, but missed the mark a bit offensively. To be fair to Nique, he was much more efficient against LA and had 16 points on 46% from the field, however, he did go just 1-4 from deep.

Personally, I would've liked to see Clifford get some more shots up and play with the ball in his hands a bit more, but there are a lot of guards in Stockton as well. What the team was looking for from Nique is likely the same as what they would’ve liked to see from Carter; knock down shots, take care of the ball, and show that you’re too good for the G-League. 

count it ☝️ pic.twitter.com/NYT3v9txxy

— Stockton Kings (@StocktonKings) December 10, 2025

Beside the shooting, the two numbers that really stood out for me with Nique were turnovers and fouls. Clifford was unable to record an assist and had five turnovers in 32 minutes of action, definitely not what any of us were expecting from him.

The worst of the turnovers came at the end of the first quarter where a lazy pass ended up in an easy fastbreak for the Lakers. In the NBA, Clifford averages nearly five fouls per 36 minutes and has raised questions about his ability to defend without fouling. Nique is a solid defender, but he struggled with fouls in Stockton as well with four and only had one steal to show for it. 

As far as positives, other than the work on the glass and his defense, Nique had some flashes with the ball in his hands and that culminated with him getting a nice bucket off the dribble toward the end of the fourth quarter. With Nique, I’m a bit less worried about shooting because his mechanics are solid and he’s shown he can knock them down against NBA defenses. The deep ball can definitely improve, but what I’m looking out for more is those on-ball flashes translating to him being successful with the ball in his hands against stout NBA defenders. 

Takeaways

Performances in the NBA can be really subjective and it wouldn’t be fair to say that Clifford outplayed Carter because he shot better from the field, or the opposite with Devin taking care of the ball better and scoring more.

Regardless of that, neither guy jumped off the screen when they should’ve. As a rookie, Clifford has the leeway to make more mistakes and have some of the ups and downs you saw from him against South Bay. While I wasn’t impressed with Clifford’s performance, I came away far more concerned about what Carter can possibly be in the NBA if his shot remains as streaky as it is.