Since making his preseason debut, Sacramento Kings' rookie Nique Clifford has been applauded for his maturity on the court. There's a reason for that, specifically spending a full four years playing in college. That's something more potential NBA rookies could benefit from before entering the league.
It's become increasingly common for college basketball players to declare for the NBA Draft after their first or second year. In a few select and rare cases, some players get drafted right out of high school. But that list includes names like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Kevin Garnett.
Most rookies end up entering the NBA through the college system. The problem with only playing a year is that these rookies miss critical basketball development, not to mention doing some serious growing up. There's a difference between playing pro basketball at 18 and 23.
Nique Clifford is the blueprint
Clifford started his college career in 2020 at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Naturally, the pandemic messed things up a bit. He then transferred to Colorado State in 2023. Nique would play there through his final year of eligibility in 2025.
When you look back at Clifford's collegiate career, his development is unmistakable. He grew from a six to seven points per game kind of player to dropping 36 points on the Boise State Broncos in the last regular season game of his time in college. It's a huge improvement.
More than that, Nique grew as a person. He quickly became a team leader, someone who was an experienced athlete who played the game with maturity and character. That was a big part of the reason he went in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
Playing for the Sacramento Kings
The Kings' preseason wasn't great. They lost three out of four games, suffered several injuries, and just had a rough time in general. A major bright spot during that time was Nique Clifford's game, specifically the maturity he showed on court.
Entering the NBA at the age of 23 with a full run in college behind him definitely helped his development, both as a basketball player and as a person. It's something that more potential NBA players in college considering making the jump could benefit from greatly.
A small group of rookies like VJ Edgecombe will spend a year in college and hit the ground running when drafted. But most could really use the full time in college to grow and mature before taking on the bright lights of an NBA court. It can be a lot harder than some rookies see coming.