Nique Clifford Talks Draft Night Blessing, On-Court Evolution, & Kings’ Next Chapter

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 20: Nique Clifford #5 of the Sacramento Kings dribbles the ball against the Charlotte Hornets in the second half of the 2025 NBA Summer League Championship game at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 20, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Hornets defeated the Kings 83-78. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)

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The Sacramento Kings entered this year’s NBA Draft without a first-round pick. As Nique Clifford’s name remained on the board, they grew increasingly motivated to change that.

The Kings traded the rights to the San Antonio Spurs’ 2027 first-round selection to the reigning champions, the Oklahoma City Thunder. They also protected the pick numbers 1-16.

That move netted them the 24th overall draft choice, positioning them to take Clifford. While the former Colorado State star had to wait toward the end of his projected draft range to hear his name called, he’s thrilled about where he wound up.

“I really didn’t know what to expect,” Clifford told Forbes about being available for Sacramento to select at pick No. 24. “Honestly, I felt like I could have potentially gone earlier, but my range was anywhere from 15 to 25, from what everybody was saying. So, I didn’t really know what was going to happen. But I was a little surprised. But I was very happy that I landed there. It’s a great organization, great people, and I’m super happy to be a part of it.”

After getting drafted, Clifford leaned on the people who helped him achieve his dream of making it to the NBA. He then immediately turned to his new teammates and head coach for help with his transition onto basketball’s highest level.

“Honestly, all my family, my old coaches, people that’s helped me get to this point. They’re definitely the guys that are in my circle and [I] feel like I could trust,” conveyed the Colorado Springs native about who he reached out to first after the Kings drafted him.

“And then, learning from the guys that I’m around. The older veteran players who’ve been here, like Mason [Jones]. I got the chance to meet DeMar [DeRozan], guys like that. And then, we [have] got a former player as a head coach, Doug Christie, who’s done it for a long time. So, he’s a guy that I try to pick his brain, learn a lot from as well, and he teaches me a lot.”

While much of his conversations with Jones have included meals catered by DoorDash, the four-year veteran has a steak house in mind for the next time they break bread.

That eagerness Clifford’s new teammates have to continue building a relationship with a rookie repeatedly described as humble is that, as forward Isaac Jones put it, he’s “somebody you always want to hang around.”

Nique Clifford is quick to apply words of wisdom

As Clifford continues to seek counsel from those who helped get him here and soak up knowledge from all corners of the Kings’ organization, he shared with Forbes a piece of advice he received that resonated and is helping him at the start of his NBA journey.

“[Through] the ups and downs, living in the present moment. You’re not going to play great every game, as we saw, I didn’t have my best game, but I’ve got to stay level-headed; not get too high, not get too low. You [are] never as good as you think you are, you [are] never as bad as you think you are. So, just trying to keep that in mind the whole time, and then just staying in the gym, continuing to want to be better. I feel like that’s the key to success.”

As he stayed in the gym, honing his craft, that advice helped him remain present and even-keeled as he acclimated to Summer League.

“You can just see his comfort level has skyrocketed,” Kings assistant coach and bench boss in Las Vegas, Dipesh Mistry, told Forbes. “Game by game, if you look, it’s like, [in] the first half of the first game, he didn’t even want to look at the rim, and now he’s just like, ‘All right, I got it, don’t worry.'”

As Clifford adapted to a new level of competition, he helped Sacramento stage a run to the Summer League championship. Unfortunately, they came up short against fourth overall pick Kon Knueppel and the Charlotte Hornets.

While the Kings’ first-round selection wishes he played better in his final two games in Sin City, including a Semi-Final performance undermined by foul trouble, he’s accepting of the ebbs and flows of the journey he’s on. He also pledges to use those last two tilts at Summer League as motivation moving forward.

Nique Clifford’s growth after his collegiate career

Clifford’s confidence on the court stems from the work he puts in behind the scenes. That commitment has fueled his growth from when he last donned a Colorado State Rams uniform in March to the conclusion of Summer League.

“I would say my confidence level, trusting myself to make plays, whether that’s a shot, making a play for my teammates, and then trying to focus on my defense, trying to pick up full court,” he highlighted while telling Forbes about what he believes are his most significant developments between his collegiate career ending and now.

“That’s been a big adjustment, going to the NBA level is, trying to pick up full court. Getting [in] way better shape because of how much you’re having to do. So, I think that’s the biggest adjustment that I’ve been trying to focus on.”

After Sacramento’s 98-88 Semi-Final win over the Toronto Raptors, Isaac Jones weighed in on the subject, telling Forbes, “I always thought he was a pro right off the bat. I remember watching him in college. But I think he’s learning to control the pace a little bit more, scan the floor and just affect the game, like today, he wasn’t scoring as much as he did, but you could still feel his presence.”

While discussing the strides he saw from his rookie teammate at Summer League, Mason Jones voiced, “Oh man, every day, ever since the first day I’ve seen him when he first came to Sac until now, he’s very professional. He takes every day seriously. That’s what you [have] got to do, especially as a rookie, you never know what’s going to happen. You never know what’s in your control.

“So, just the fact that he comes ready every day and works hard and continues to show what he could do is very professional.”

Nique Clifford’s focus after leaving Summer League

The 23-year-old’s work ethic earned him a spot on the All-Summer League First Team. He made that happen by stuffing the stat sheet, averaging 15.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.0 steals per contest. Clifford also shot over 49 percent from the field and knocked down 45.8 percent of the 4.0 threes he hoisted.

After foul trouble made it difficult for Sacramento’s Swiss army knife to find his rhythm offensively in the Kings’ Semi-Final win over the Raptors, Coach Mistry discussed with Forbes two crucial areas he wants Clifford to focus on as he prepares for training camp.

“The biggest thing is, right now, defend without fouling, and I think he’s done a pretty good job of it. It’s just one game, but I think, like, just his ability to rebound and go. Don’t look for a point guard, you are the point guard once you rebound the ball.”

While Clifford agrees, as he applies what he learned in Las Vegas to help him get ready for his rookie campaign, his points of emphasis comprise a longer list.

“Definitely my IQ of the game, starting to learn my spots more, starting to learn how to be more effective off the ball [and] on the ball. As a defender, learning how to guard different people [in] certain ways. And then becoming more consistent as a shooter. My whole game, honestly. Getting stronger, getting bigger, all the different things. So there’s a lot to learn from, a lot to grow.”

The common theme among players Nique Clifford studies

As the Colorado native prepares for the start of his career, he’s sharpening a diverse skill set.

He’s an explosive athlete who attacks downhill with physicality, often utilizing his shoulder to create separation. He is also a skilled and savvy facilitator. The 23-year-old can take on the role of connector or orchestrate the offense to set his teammates up for quality scoring chances.

Clifford has excellent court vision and delivers the ball on time and on target. He will also manipulate defenders with his eyes and body language to create passing windows to get someone open.

His work in the lab also helped him make significant strides as a shooter. In his third and final season at the University of Colorado, he hoisted 2.1 threes, converting them at a 28.8 percent clip. In his two years at Colorado State, he had a hit rate in the high 30s while taking at least three per game.

Continuing that growth, including his effectiveness creating threes for himself off the dribble, is paramount to his basketball evolution.

Being a one-way player wouldn’t have turned him into a first-round pick. At the other end of the floor, Clifford is a defensive menace. That’s a product of his physical tools, motor, and basketball IQ.

He stands over six feet five without shoes on. He also has a six-foot-eight wingspan and a standing reach that extends eight feet and six-and-a-half inches.

On the ball, he has the versatility to guard multiple positions effectively. Off of it, he jumps passing lanes and disrupts drives with regularity.

Possessing a dynamic skill set at both ends of the court, Clifford told Forbes that those he models his game after start with a player he loved watching since he was a kid.

“I’ve always loved Kobe Bryant,” he voiced. “That’s a guy that I watch a lot of film on. Just try to learn things from guys like that who have been great in the past.”

As for who he studies among active players in the Association, Clifford singled out elite role players and a rising star who each make a significant impact in a myriad of ways on both sides of the ball.

“Guys currently [are] the Derrick White’s, Jalen Williams, Josh Harts, guys that do a little bit of everything. Trying to find ways that I can make impacts like that; how they’re able to impact the game in so many different ways. I feel like my skill set is just very versatile. And so that’s something I want to carry forward.”

Like that trio, Clifford’s defense is a point of pride for him. He knows that what he brings on that end of the floor will play a significant role in helping him earn more trust and responsibility as he carves out his place in the league.

“I take a lot of pride in defense,” stated Clifford. “That’s going to be something that I’m called to do, probably early in my career, of course. A lot of rookies and young guys come into the league and try and find a way to impact the game, which a lot of times is defense and knocking down open shots. That’s something that I want to buy into and definitely continue to get better at.”

Nique Clifford’s message to Kings fans

The Kings’ first-round pick is determined to make an immediate two-way impact. As teams in his projected draft range passed on him, he believes in the organization that didn’t.

After last season saw the departures of the former face of the franchise, De’Aaron Fox, and the 2022-23 NBA Coach of the Year, Mike Brown, Clifford could help Sacramento usher in a new era.

His message to Kings fans as he embarks on that journey?

“I’m just going to compete, man. I’m going to compete [and] try and win as many games as we can. And the goal is to take that next step for the organization, and that’s what I want to be a part of.”