The Sacramento Kings’ newest headline act is Darius Acuff Jr., the seventh overall pick, but the real hinge point for this season sits a little deeper on the roster. For Sacramento, the path forward is going to be measured less by the win column and more by what happens with its young core.
That puts a bright spotlight on sophomores Nique Clifford, Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell. Each flashed plenty as a rookie. Each also has a clear next step to take if the Kings are going to speed up this rebuild and start climbing back toward the playoffs.
Clifford is the easiest player to trust and the hardest one to define. He does a little bit of everything, which makes him valuable in just about any lineup and gives him the feel of a classic glue guy. The question is whether that versatility can grow into something more substantial, because right now the conversation is about whether he can become a true NBA starter.
His defense may be the part that sticks most. Clifford looks like the kind of player who can take the tougher perimeter assignment and free up Acuff on the other end. But if his scoring climbs to the 15-point range, the Kings may have found their starting two-guard without needing to keep looking.
There were stretches last season when Clifford drifted into the background, especially with Sacramento’s veterans still soaking up plenty of usage. A lot of those same veterans are still around, even though they are not part of the franchise’s future, and Clifford will need to be more forceful offensively this season if he wants to show he belongs in the long-term picture.
Raynaud already separated himself from the other rookies by earning a spot on the All-Rookie second team, and he may have the highest ceiling of the group. If he is going to reach that next level, the simplest answer is also the biggest one: the three-point shot has to become a real weapon.
Last season, Raynaud averaged just one three-point attempt per game and hit 32.4% of them. He did ramp up the volume late in the year, but that trend needs to keep moving up, especially if he is sharing the floor with Domantas Sabonis. Sacramento needs that spacing to open up the offense.
Cardwell’s path is different. If you strip it down, the most obvious area for growth is offense in general.
But his real value comes on the other end. He has the kind of defensive tools that can keep him on the floor even if his scoring stays limited to dunks and work on the glass.
The catch is that Cardwell has to stay available. He plays with the kind of energy that makes him a fan favorite, and his instinct to chase the big block is a big part of what defines him.
It also gets him into trouble. In Summer League, he finished a game with nine fouls, a reminder that all that aggression has to be controlled.
If Cardwell can clean that up and defend without constantly reaching or overcommitting, he could grow into the sort of defensive anchor Sacramento has not had in years. Pair that with Raynaud stretching the floor, Clifford becoming more assertive and Acuff steering the offense, and the Kings might be building something faster than expected.
In Other News...
Kings May Have To Wait On A Russell Westbrook Reunion
Russell Westbrook is not on the Kings roster right now, and the reason is less about fit than finances. Sacramento does have two open roster spots, but with no salary cap space to work with, the team simply cannot add players at the moment.
The squeeze comes largely from the contracts already on the books, which leaves the front office waiting for a cleaner path to bring in outside help. That is why any talk of a Westbrook reunion feels more like a future possibility than an immediate move, with some speculation pointing to the 2027 trade deadline if the cap picture finally loosens up. [Read more 🡒]
Zach LaVine Just Raised The Stakes For Sacramento's Next Step
Zach LaVines decision to stay put gives Sacramento a very different kind of offseason headline than the one many expected. The Kings had been looking at possible trade paths, but LaVine chose to opt into his $49 million player option, keeping him on the roster and immediately raising the importance of what comes next for a team trying to steady itself after an injury-hit season.
LaVine said he still believes in the culture and the potential around the group, and he pointed to the promise of a backcourt pairing with rookie Darius Acuff as part of why he sees a path forward. Sacramento has also tried to reinforce that vision by adding new players out of strong college programs, a sign the front office is still betting on cohesion and development as much as talent. [Read more 🡒]
Keegan Murray Could Shape The Kings Offense In A New Way
The Kings are heading into a transition season with a roster that blends established veterans and younger pieces, and the early emphasis is likely to be on finding new ways to make the offense more dynamic. Sacramento also has seventh-overall pick Darius Acuff Jr. in the mix, which only adds to the sense that the team will be experimenting with different lineup combinations as it tries to build around both present-tense scoring and long-term development.
One of the more interesting possibilities involves Keegan Murray in pick-and-roll actions with Acuff, a pairing that could give the Kings another layer to explore. Murray has not spent much time as a screen-setter, but if that part of his game grows, it could open up more options for Sacramento and help unlock a different kind of offensive flow than the one fans have seen before. [Read more 🡒]