The Sacramento Kings faced off against the Brooklyn Nets and picked up another late-season win. This victory was in no small part due to the efforts of Maxime Raynaud, Precious Achiuwa, Dylan Cardwell, and Nique Clifford, better known to the Sactown faithful as the Beam Boys.
During the course of the regular season, four new players to the Kings found a kinship together. While this bond was forged through the hardest parts of the campaign, it was Sacramento's four-game win streak that gave them an identity. It was that run that produced their group nickname.
Once again, the Beam Boys were leading the charge to collect one more win before the end of the season. Raynaud picked up yet another double-double on the season with 22 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block. Even more impressive, he shot 76.9% from the field.
Achiuwa also added to his double-double count on the season with 14 points, 15 rebounds, and one steal. Clifford and Cardwell were a bit quieter, combining for 12 points, seven rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. Keep in mind that both players are still recovering from recent injuries.
The Kings have the core for their rebuild
Without question, the rise of the Beam Boys has been one of the best stories around the NBA this season. This group of four players continues to build a strong rhythm together that acts as the foundation for what this franchise wants to be going into the future.
At the core of it is Raynaud, who has turned out to be the steal of the 2025 NBA Draft. The Kings selected him deep in the second round of the draft at number 42. He's now fourth on the Kia Rookie Ladder, is the rookie leader in double-doubles, and has scored 84 points in the last three games.
On top of that, Clifford is slowly becoming a legit 3&D threat, Cardwell is a defensive powerhouse, and Achiuwa might be playing the best basketball of his six-season career. The Beam Boys are exactly the group the Kings need to turn a corner and become even remotely relevant.
More than that, the Beam Boys have become the blueprint for what future rookies and other new additions to the team need to do to succeed. The future of the Kings is now, and it has taken the form of a group of young players who found a way to bond when the season was at its worst.