The Sacramento Kings will be without star guard Zach LaVine (hand) for the rest of the 2025-26 regular season–but the loss of LaVine could open the door for younger players on the roster.
By “players,” I really am pointing to one player in particular: Rookie wing Nique Clifford.
Sacramento is set to begin the final stretch of the regular season on Thursday when the All-Star break concludes, meaning the end is in sight when it comes to this forgettable season.
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
At 12-44, the Sacramento Kings will enter play on Thursday with the NBA’s worst record, which could benefit them come May when the NBA Draft Lottery is held. But how can they use these final 26 games to their advantage?
LaVine’s future in Sacramento is anything but clear. The 30-year-old has played fairly well this season from an individual standpoint (19.2 points per game on 48-39-88 shooting splits), but that hasn’t translated to wins as the Kings have dealt with a laundry list of injury problems.
Along with LaVine, Sacramento has been without forward Keegan Murray (hand and ankle injuries), All-NBA center Domantas Sabonis (knee and back injuries), and recently-acquired forward De’Andre Hunter (eye) for extended periods this season.
While LaVine’s injury will shift the focus from his on-court play to his looming $49 million player option for 2026-27, there are still games to be played by those who will be suiting up the rest of the way.
Clifford is the player who will likely slide into LaVine’s starting spot moving forward, a role he has already assumed in recent weeks as the star guard has nursed a right fifth finger injury.
Selected with the 24th pick in last summer’s NBA Draft–a pick that new Sacramento Kings general manager Scott Perry traded for on draft night–Clifford has shown flashes of his ‘Swiss Army Knife’ potential as a slashing scorer, interchangeable defender, and at times, a ball-hander and distributor.
Aside from two rough games heading into the All-Star break, Clifford has taken advantage of his increased role while LaVine has been sidelined.
Over the past seven games, Clifford has averaged 13.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game, shooting 38 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range.
Clifford’s five-for-31 (16%) showing over the Sacramento Kings’ final two games before the break is weighing down his shooting numbers, but the Colorado State product is still shooting nearly 40 percent from deep on five attempts per contest during that seven-game time frame.
The 24-year-old scored a career-high 30 points on February 7th against Cleveland, doing so on 12-of-19 shooting from the floor (five-of-nine from beyond the arc) to go along with two blocks and two steals.
Good things appear to happen when Clifford plays big minutes, and you can expect the rookie to get near 30 minutes a night the rest of the way as Sacramento shifts its focus to prioritizing the youth movement.
In games that Clifford has played 20 minutes or more this season, he has averaged 9.8 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 28.5 minutes per game while shooting 38.6 percent from the field, 32.1 percent from three-point range, and 73.2 percent from the free-throw line.
Giving the rookie more chances to elevate those numbers–as he has done over the past two weeks–will set him up for an important offseason that may include some widespread changes to the Kings’ roster.
During the recent trade deadline, there were clear signs from the Sacramento front office that Clifford is a player that Perry intends to have in the fold for the next phase of this franchise’s facelift.
Clifford is already ranked 11th among all players in the 2025 NBA Draft class in minutes played, right behind teammate Maxime Raynaud in 10th place. If he remains healthy and available, it isn’t out of the question to see Clifford (and Raynaud, for that matter) finish well within the top-ten by the season’s end.
These final 26 games will be a big opportunity for the rookie, one that could set him up to hit the ground running come next season.
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When is the next Sacramento Kings game?
The Sacramento Kings will return from the All-Star break on Thursday, February 19th, and face the Orlando Magic at Golden 1 Center.
Last season, Orlando swept the season series vs. Sacramento (2-0).
Be sure to catch all of the Sacramento Kings vs. Orlando Magic action right here on Sactown Sports 1140 AM, with pregame coverage beginning at 5:30 PM PT on Game Night before a 7:00 pm PT tip-off from downtown Sacramento.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings schedule for the 2025-26 season
Thursday, February 19th vs. Orlando Magic – 7:00 PM PT
Saturday, February 21st @ San Antonio Spurs – 5:00 PM PT
Monday, February 23rd @ Memphis Grizzlies – 5:00 PM PT
Wednesday, February 25th – @ Houston Rockets – 5:00 PM PT
Thursday, February 26th @ Dallas Mavericks – 5:30 PM PT
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