Nique Clifford

Clifford attended The Vanguard School in Colorado Springs and was named the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. He committed to Colorado for college and played three seasons before transferring to Colorado State, where he quickly became a star. As a fifth-year senior, Clifford averaged 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.6 steals in 35.4 minutes while posting 50/38/78 shooting splits on 13.3 field-goal attempts, 4.9 three-point tries and 5.0 free-throw trips per game en route to Third-Team All-Mountain West honors. He led the Rams to a huge first-round upset over Memphis in the NCAA Tournament, and Colorado State had Maryland on the ropes in the second round before Derik Queen's game-winning buzzer-beater. Clifford looked like a polished collegiate player by his fifth season, showcasing an all-around archetype that'd make him an easy lottery pick if he was a few years younger. It didn't matter if he was facing or posting up, Clifford got to his spots at will, finishing with an array of moves regardless of how well the defense played. He was an excellent shooter off the dribble or as a spot-up option and displayed patience as a playmaker. Clifford is a plus-athlete, but he won't be able to rely on that portion of his game as much at the NBA level, especially on the defensive end. Given their style of play and time in college, Kyle Kuzma (6'9, 221 - four years at Utah) and Paul George (6'8, 220 - three years at Fresno State) come to mind when projecting Clifford's impact at the NBA level. However, Kuzma and George were both taller and heavier than Clifford coming out of college, so let's turn to Jalen Williams (6'5, 211) and Ron Holland (6'8, 205). Williams has surpassed even the Thunder's wildest dreams when they selected him with the No. 12 pick in 2022, and Holland took a redshirt year for the Pistons, whose rotation tightened after emerging as a solid contender this season. Clifford shouldn't need much seasoning and could contribute right away, but at 23 years old, he doesn't have much time to develop.