Sacramento Kings Might Have Already Found Their Point Guard Solution

The Kings traded up in June's draft to take a chance on Nique Clifford out of Colorado State with the 24th overall pick. While Clifford came into the league as more of a combo guard, his playmaking has been on full display through the Summer League, training camp, and preseason.

In his preseason debut against the Toronto Raptors, Clifford impressed with ten points, nine assists, and two steals through 24 minutes off the bench, seemingly serving as Sacramento's backup point guard.

In his second game, Clifford showed the other side of his offensive game, leading the bench in scoring with 15 points through 26 minutes. Clifford has played more than any other Kings player through their first two preseason games, as the team is certainly trying to gauge how much the rookie can take on. Luckily, it seems to be working in their favor.

The 23-year-old, 6-foot-5 guard has a very wide-ranging skill set with and without the ball in his hands, and while he may not be the prototypical modern NBA point guard, he has proven that he can run an offense.

With score-first stars like Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan being the top options in Sacramento's offense, alongside a ball-dominant big man in Domantas Sabonis, the Kings would be much better off having a point guard like Clifford in the lineup.

It likely will not take long for head coach Doug Christie and the coaching staff to realize Schröder is not the ideal fit in Sacramento's lineup, and could even turn to the rookie much sooner than many would expect. Clifford certainly needs some more time to develop into what the Kings want him to be, but he has shown plenty of promise since getting drafted.