During the 2025 NBA Draft, the Sacramento Kings picked up Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud. It was expected that Clifford would be their new rookie star, but it hasn’t quite worked out that way. And last night’s game highlighted how differently Raynaud has grown in a short period of time.

While both Clifford and Raynaud looked good in the preseason, it was Nique who stood out the most. He jumped out early as someone fans, pundits, and the rest of the NBA should be watching. Raynaud also looked good, but Clifford was a bit of a scene stealer at the time.

Keeping in mind that we’re not even two months into the 2025-2026 season, it hasn’t quite worked out that way. Clifford is playing reasonably well for a rookie, but he’s not quite where fans thought he would be. There have been flashes of brilliance, but the consistency just isn’t there, yet.

On the other hand, Maxime Raynaud has been moved up to starting center in the wake of Domantas Sabonis’ injury. He’s had double-digit scores in five of the last six games and was only one rebound shy of his second double-double of the season last night. Plus, he’s proving to be a solid defender.

The Nuggets blowout was a wake up call for the Kings’ rookies

As part of another blowout loss to the Nuggets, the Kings got to see two very different performances from their rookies. Both Clifford and Raynaud started due to injuries to Sabonis and LaVine. To be fair to Clifford, Raynaud has been a regular starter for a few games now.

Clifford finished the game with two points and four rebounds in 24 minutes of play. He also shot one for eight from the field, and went zero for six from three. On top of that, Nique had four turnovers and two fouls. It wasn’t a great evening for him.

On the other hand, Raynaud had another good night. He played almost 37 minutes, clocking out with 15 points, nine rebounds, one assist, and one steal. He shot seven for 13 from the field and one for one from three. Plus, he only had one turnover and three fouls, which is solid for a rookie center.

Raynaud has been getting better minutes than Clifford for several games, which is part of the reason his development seems to be progressing more quickly. The Kings have been assigning Clifford to the G League to get more reps, and they should continue to do that. It can only help him progress.