Predicting Key Stat for Kings Rookies Clifford and Raynaud

Nique Clifford 

Clifford, being the first-round pick, would usually be the shoo-in for minutes on a non-playoff team, but this is the Kings we’re talking about. Doug Christie likely plans on using Clifford at the three a good amount because he wouldn’t be competing with Zach LaVine, Keon Ellis, Monk, and Carter like he would be at the two-guard spot.

Still, there isn’t a world where Clifford starts over DeRozan, who could be playing 35+ minutes per game. On a normal team, Clifford would be playing 20+ minutes easily after averaging 15 points on 46% shooting from deep in Summer League.

The Kings would be smart to develop him early, but adding DeRozan and LaVine last year put this team in a spot where it doesn’t make sense not to try to win. Spending close to $75m on the duo of LaVine and DeRozan, while Clifford likely has his minutes limited, might even be the final straw for some fans. 

The possible saving grace for Clifford (and fans) is the chance that Clifford might earn some minutes at the point. The Kings brought in Dennis Schröder, but he isn’t the level of player that DeRozan and LaVine are.

While he isn’t a true point guard, Clifford showed some flashes as an initiator at Colorado State and in Summer League. From 22/23 to 23/24, Clifford's assist percentage went from 18.8% to 26.8% and his assists per game number jumped by 1.4. After Isaiah Stevens (who is a current two-way player for Sacramento) moved on to the league, Clifford was able to start cutting his teeth as a ballhandler.

In the 12 games where Clifford had 6 or more assists last season, Colorado State was 10-2, with two of those games coming in the NCAA tournament. Clifford did turn the ball over a bit more with the added time on-ball, but there are definitely signs of him being a capable backup point guard.

Maxime Raynaud

After trading away Jonas Valančiūnas, the Kings only have Domantas Sabonis, Drew Eubanks, and Raynaud as their centers. Eubanks is a solid veteran and may get more time due to his experience, but he isn’t nearly as versatile as Maxime.

While still raw, Raynaud can play with the ball (similar to Sabonis), spot up from deep, and man the paint on both ends. At Stanford, Raynaud averaged 20 points per game and shot close to 35% from three on 5.5 attempts per game while being one of the best rebounders in the nation. His shot takes a bit of time to get off, but his floor spacing ability at 7’1” will make it easier to get him on the floor with different lineups. 

Maxime isn’t necessarily known as a defender, but he’s athletic for his size, and that usually bodes well for a big man to be able to hold their own on switches and not get taken advantage of. Raynaud did block quite a few shots for Stanford, but I wouldn’t necessarily call him a rim protector either.

Eubanks is the better defender at this stage, and the Kings desperately need an anchor defensively with their atrocious perimeter defense. There is a path to Raynaud playing over Eubanks, but I’m going to venture a guess that he will need to develop defensively before Christie has total confidence in him. 

Prediction

Again, in a perfect world, the rookies would both be getting over 20 minutes per game as the Kings look to the future. Unfortunately, I don’t see the Kings going that direction with the roster they have and their history. The Kings will definitely play both Clifford and Raynaud, but I would be surprised to see either hit the 20 mpg mark this season, barring a trade or another big change to the rotation. 

Nique Clifford: 17 minutes per game

Maxime Raynaud: 10 minutes per game