It was a quiet, dreary night in Sacramento during Wednesday night’s preseason opener until the 4th quarter ushered in rookie Nique Clifford and much of the Kings’ Summer League squad. While the youngsters couldn’t bring Sacramento back—the visiting Toronto Raptors won 130-122—it says something that it took until the 3rd stringers to bring Golden 1 Center to life or for Sacramento to find any consistency on the offensive end.
That electric 4th quarter, where the Kings outscored the Raptors’ fellow-3rd stringers 44-33, was led by Clifford. The Kings were down 97-79 to start the 4th quarter as Clifford and fellow rookie Maxime Raynaud took to the floor and finished the game with Devin Carter, Dylan Cardwell, and Isaiah Stevens. Clifford had all 10 of his points and 7 of his 9 assists in that 4th quarter, including some nice assists to Cardwell for dunks.
Here’s a reel of Nique’s highlights.
Nique’s 9 assists equaled the amount of assists that the Kings starters, plus Malik Monk and Keon Ellis, had COMBINED in their roughly 140 minutes on the court. That line should both praise Clifford’s playmaking ability and be a sign of just how worrying the offense looked in the hands of the Kings core.
Cardwell finished with 12 points and 3 boards on 6 of 7 shooting, and paired fantastically as a play finisher with Nique. While Raynaud couldn’t get his deep shot going, he finished with 7 points, 6 boards, and 2 steals, and showed some physicality that most other Kings didn’t bring to the contest. And props to both Carter and Stevens, who were the 6th and 7th guards off the bench for Sacramento but also played with more pace than the starters did.
Where the starters looked like dudes who still had to figure out how to play together, it was the youngsters—who’d played together in a Summer League title game months earlier—who looked cohesive and composed. Here’s hoping the fire that Clifford, Cardwell, and Raynaud ended the game with ignites the veterans with more purpose and composure in Friday’s preseason game in Portland.
In some alternate reality if DDR, LaVine, Eubanks and Saric weren’t on the team and instead Keon was starting at the two, Nique at the 3 and Maxime was the first big off the beech, I’d be a lot more excited about the season. I wouldn’t even care about the win loss column. The team as it is currently constructed isn’t making the playoffs so give me a young upstart team gunning for 25 wins over an old uninspiring team destined for 35 wins.
Let’s get real guys. The Kings are going nowhere with the team as it is constructed. I wish the front office and the coaching staff would realize this.Or if they do then do something about it.The starting five minus Keegan Murray just doesn’t cut it. Look at their ages and you tell me where they are. Other than Murray the other 4 are near or over 30, Look at their contracts. Terrible. We can still do something and reset this team. It will take time but they need to start NOW. Schroder isn’t the answer far from it. Demar is close to being over the hill and can’t or wouln’t play defense. LaVine doesn’t have a contract you cannot trade. Sabonis has shone, as much as I like him, not to be able to bring any resemblance of a playoff spot. IMO Murray is the only keeper on the now starting five.
For what it’s worth we don’t have to start over but rebuild IMO. Start with Sabonis. Someone mentioned a while ago to trade him to the Pistons for Jalen Duren,Ron Holland.Tobias Harris and a 2026 and 2029 first rounders. Next and this is the hardest one but in order to get something you have to give up something. Trade Keon Ellis and a second or two to the Rockets for Tari Eason. Eason can be a starter and plays great defense.With their starting point guard out for the year they could really use Ellis and Eason is up for an extension. Trade Devin Carter and a second to Denver for Peyton Watson. Good backup wing with high motor and very good defense. Trade DDR to the Heat for Rosier and a first. Not much here but Rosier does have an expiring contract worth 26 mil. I we get a first. The only player on the starting five not including Murray is LaVine who IMO has a contract that would be near impossible to trade. Only bright spot is he is a really good offensive weapon.
Now we have a team which is a lot younger. A team who can play defense and IMO a team in which the Kings can start a rebuild with who we now have and more draft picks in the future.
Yup.
THIS!!! All of this!!! Wonderfully said Adamsite. Early nominee for comment of the season
So much deadwood on this team: LaVine, DDR, Monk, Schroder, Saric, possibly Sabonis, too, if he has to keep playing with no complimentary players.
Ellis should be starting, but the coach who emphasizes defense is going to limit him to under 25 minutes per game.
Teams that play defense like the Kings don’t win many games. Laugh at me, but I can’t see this team winning over 30, and could struggle to win 25.
So if we are going to get 25 or 30 wins this year with a bunch of old guys except Murray then let’s start trading now and at least win 25 or 30 games with a young team who really want to be here and improve and fun to watch especially on the defensive side of the ball. GO KINGS!
The Dismissive Little Chap won’t let that happen.
Is there anybody he will listen to.I would volunteer but he wouldn’t listen to me and IMO nobody else. So the Kings are doomed unless somebody is willing to take him to the wood shed and beat some sense into him. He must be the most arrogant person in the entire world to think he knows more than anyone else. What a terrible shame. The only way I see out of this if we all not buy tickets and don’t show up and he starts losing money. But are we willing to do this?
The casual fan who sees it as entertainment, and the busineses/corporations that have season tickets will still show up. It just sucks.
There would be die hard fans enough to do it. That would probably be at least half if not more.
I think the reality of the situation, Jack, is they way many of us would prefer to trade off guys like DDR, LaVine, etc. is that other teams don’t want them for the same reasons. The other 29 teams would also like to kick the tires on guys like Nique, Keon and Maxine. They are cheap, young, hungry, and possibly provide upside. Only desperate teams will come calling about our unwanted contracts, and even then it may cost the Kings to move them. No GM worth their weight is giving up assets for DDR, LaVine, Monk, Saric, Eubanks, or McDermott. The only value the Kings have are dudes on their rookie scale deals and Sabonis, and even he is depreciating with each passing month. The dudes that may have had value at one point or another, but not a long future in Sac, (Davion, JV, Lyles, LaRavia) were cast away for scraps or lost for nothing.
I don’t see Sabonis as having much value, either. Limited on offense and defense, while pulling in $45M a season. That’s a pretty brutal combination.
Perhaps, but he is still a top 5 center in the league. Put him in Miami next to Bam, OKC next to Chet or even San Antonio next to Wemby and he has significant value.
The current Kings roster is misusing him so bad that it’s diminishing his value to them. Surround him with a weak side rim protector (Keegan can be that guy, IMO) and a bunch of of live bodied shooters and the formula could work. Monte approached that in the lone playoff season, but didn’t expand on it.
Limited on offense and defense ? Getting 20 points on 12 shots is not limited offense but highly productive and the most important part of defense is getting the ball back ( defensive rebounding ) and Sabonis has led the league in rebounding 2 straight years . Hope Kings do trade him and watch the unproductive slugs that follow .
I agree. LaVine would be the hardest to trade but IMO he also would be the better fit then DDR or Sabonis. He is still one of the best offensive players in the league. For DDR I could not find a trade for a younger player or players so looked at a trade for someone like a Rosier and possibly a low first. As of your reply a week or 2 ago maybe we could get a player like Kyle Kuzma but IMO we are now trading a older player for an older player. My reasoning here for a rebuilt is first with Sabonis which IMO still has value but as you stated it decreases month to month. Need to do this now.
In order to get something you have to give up something. That’s where Ellis and Carter comes in. Ellis and ? for Tari Eason would be a good move. The Rockets need someone like Ellis especially after Van went down and Eason is also up for an extension and is low in the pecking order under Smith Jr. He would be an excellent starter at PF for the Kings.
I myself don;t have a lot of confidence in Carter. The Kings are loaded with guards. Denver needs a backup guard on their team and we need a high motor defensive forward who would backup Murray. IMO Peyton Watson could be that player
Lastly IMO Sabonis till has good trade value so a trade maybe to the Pistons or OKC might work
All this is hypothetical of course but Perry needs to at least try to address these issues now and not later. Who knows maybe some of the above could happen.
Of the 2 teams above my prerence would be the Pistons as Duren would be part of the trade. He would be the King’s starting center for years to come. OKC has Hartenstein which would be my second choice.
I like Duren, think he would help the defensive identity that the Kings say they want to have. Aside from that, the Pistons probably don’t have that much they would be willing to trade.
Maybe:
Sabonis for Tobias (expiring), Duren, Bobi Klintman (salary matching reasons), protected 1st and some 2nd rounders? I wouldn’t expect too much more back for Sabonis.
I gotta admit, I stopped watching after halftime… those highlights are like a completely different game!? Insane how passionate, hungry youngsters can make the game exciting. The starting lineup they put out of the “established” players was a dreary nightmare.
OT: This gave me a laugh. I respect Carter’s effort at hanging on, but I feel his hair line is like the Kings defense. You want it to happen, but it just ain’t in the cards
That hair line is more like 24ft as opposed to 94 ft.
Man that’s terrible!
Young fella is afraid to let it go. Someone need to set up and intervention at this point.
It’s just hair. He can’t control his hair line unless he gets plugs. If the dude is okay with it, then what’s the big deal?
Grate Clips.
There is a confidence in this hair style that is on a whole other level. I think it’s awesome that he embraces it and accentuates it.
Get rid of all the
AllOld-Stars, Tank, ProfitNINE dimes – Ed Rooney
Ferris’d.
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