Kings Have a Chance for a Ring, Advance to Playoffs

The Kings came into Summer League with a clear plan to win the championship, which rookie Nique Clifford stated after the win over Cleveland. Sacramento also hinted at their championship aspirations when they brought back Maxime Raynaud for game three after he missed the second game with wrist soreness.

Summer League doesn't mean anything for the regular season, but the Kings are working on building an identity and culture, and that starts at the bottom of the organization.

Not only would a championship be great for the players and fans, but we'll also get to see more from the Kings young players.

Nique Clifford especially has looked great in each of the four games, showing how he can impact the game all over the court. He's averaged 18.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 1.3 steals across the four games, on 58.3% shooting from the field and 52.9% from three.

It's not just the stats that look great for Clifford, but how he looks on the court. He looks composed and poised, and has gotten better in games as they've gone on. Against the Cavs, he carried the Kings to victory in the fourth quarter, getting to his spots and scoring down the stretch.

We'll also get another chance to see Raynaud, who had a quiet game in his return in his third game of Summer League. In his three games, he's averaged 14.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists on 53.1% shooting from the field and 30% from beyond the arc.

It will be interesting to see if Mason Jones suits up for the Kings in the playoffs. He missed the last game with an oblique injury, but is one of Sacramento's best players on the roster.

He's also not under contract for next season, which could be an argument for him to play more and show more on the court, but also for him not to come back from injury too soon and risk getting hurt more.

Either way, it will be fun to see more from the Kings. It's just Summer League, but it's basketball to watch and evaluate young players, which is never a bad thing at this time of year.