While the present isn't looking particularly good for the Sacramento Kings, the future is so bright they have to wear shades. Well, kind of. After a solid draft, Maxime Raynaud, Nique Clifford, and Dylan Cardwell have all proven they are the future of the franchise. Now, the Kings have to do right by them.
There are a lot of bad parts to the Kings' 2025-2026 season to focus on, and every last one of them needs to be addressed. Through four decades of loyalty and support, no matter what, Sacramento fans have earned better from this franchise than what they are getting and have gotten.
But there is light at the end of the tunnel in this current roster. Their rookie trio has proven to be increasingly effective. Raynaud is already a solid starting center. Clifford is finding his mean streak on the court. And Cardwell's energetic game is highly infectious.
It's honestly impressive how quickly these three have gotten up to speed. They have a long way to go in the development process, of course, but they are still doing incredibly well. While they could be a big part of the rebuild, the Kings need to avoid dropping the ball with them.
Kings must manage their rookies' development correctly
Sacramento fans have been here before many times, most recently with Keon Ellis and Devin Carter. Both players have been with the Kings for all of their young NBA careers. It's safe to say that the franchise has completely botched their respective development processes.
Even worse, the Kings' coaching staff appears unwilling to take any action about it. Doug Christie has all but washed his hands of Ellis, and he has seemingly forgotten Carter is on the team. Both players could be playing good minutes for the team if they got the support they needed from it.
The big fear here is that the same thing will happen to the current rookie trio, and that a lack of development and regular rotation minutes will sour them on playing in Sacramento. Kings' fans don't want to see another homegrown asset succeed somewhere else the way De'Aaron Fox has.
Yes, Maxime Raynaud, Nique Clifford, and Dylan Cardwell are the obvious cornerstones for the rebuild process. For that to be successful, the Kings still need to do right by them and do better than they did for previous rookies like Ellis, Carter, and even Keegan Murray to an extent.