If you go by the box score, Nique Clifford had a terrible night in the Sacramento Kings' loss to the Blazers. Surprisingly, there might actually be a good reason for that as he spent a significant portion of his game playing point guard. This might be an indication of the future the Kings see for him.
For the entirety of the preseason to date, Clifford has been running really hot and cold. It's hard to predict what kind of performance the Kings are going to get from him night to night. That being said, there are very distinct and obvious improvements in his game from his first season in the league.
It's the kind of stuff that doesn't always show up in the numbers. He's more aggressive and more assertive than in 2025-2026, and is more willing to take shots. Unfortunately, he shot zero for 11 from the field against Portland. His only two points came from free throws. It's better than nothing.
On top of those points, he only collected two rebounds, five assists, and one block. Those aren't the kind of numbers you want to see from a sophomore with high excpectations who got nearly 30 minutes on the court. As it turns out, the lowered production was due to his new position.
Clifford may end up being in the point guard rotation
Normally, Clifford would be a wing, playing either small forward or shooting guard. He started the game at shooting guard while Elfrid Payton was the starting point guard. That changed as Clifford migrated over to point guard and started running the offense. It was more than a little surprising.
Clifford is not a natural point guard, and having him play that position seems against type for him. At the same time, he's also a talented player with a high ceiling. It could be that the coaching staff are seeing something in practice from him that makes them believe he has untapped potential at PG.
Honestly, this would be huge for the Kings. If Clifford can become a servicable backup for Acuff as well as a great wing, that makes him incredibly versatile. Being able to move him between multiple positions opens a surprisng number of rotational opportunities for the team.
The downside for Clifford is that learning to be a reasonably good point guard will feel like swimming upstream. He's going to end up with some really unproductive games on paper as he gets used to the expanded role. Once he does, Clifford will be another dangerous weapon in the Kings' arsenal.
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