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The Sacramento Kings turned to Wednesday's NBA Draft to build the first Doug Christie led roster. Christie and the Kings became all in after their April 29 contract agreement. Allowing the beloved franchise star from the early 2000s to remove his interim head coach tag.
Christie and the Kings front office showed they weren't hesitant about shaking the draft order. Sacramento pulled off the huge swap with the world champion Oklahoma City Thunder. Landing Nique Clifford at No. 24 in the process.
The Kings delivered the first aggressive step into reestablishing themselves as a playoff contender. The Western Conference franchise moved into the first round off this Thunder deal.
But does it finalize some high grades for them post NBA Draft? And how does their second round find fit inside the Golden 1 Center? Time to pass out the grades both Kings selections.
Round 1, Pick 24: Guard Nique Clifford, Colorado State
Christie proved his desire to improve the product he's taking over from Mike Brown. Clifford entered night one of the draft as one of the nation's top scorers.
Clifford left Colorado State dropping 18.9 points per game on foes. The 6-foot-6 talent even scored 21 or more points on his opponents in five of his last six games. That includes the 21 he delivered on a Derik Queen-led Maryland team during March Madness despite the loss.
The long option proved his energy on the glass too. He grabbed 9.6 rebounds per game. He's also one of the more consistent free throw shooters entering the draft — shooting 77.7% from the white stripe.
“Whether he was facing up or posting up, Clifford got to his spots at will, finishing with an array of moves regardless of the defense,” the beginning of his scouting report read. “He was an excellent shooter off the dribble or as a spot-up option and displayed patience as a playmaker.”
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The Rams star brings flaws on the defensive side. But he walked into the Barclays Center as one of the elder prospects. Christie is smart to turn to a collegiate veteran to spark the new Kings. Rather than try to place pressure on a 19-year-old to grow right away. He's even compared to his future league coach.
Grade: A
Round 2, Pick 12 (No. 42 overall): Center Maxime Raynaud, Stanford
Raynaud arrived to Sacramento via his own trade. The Kings swapped with the Chicago Bulls via the San Antonio Spurs to move up in night two of the festivities
Raynaud is another experienced vet Christie will lean on. He spent four seasons in Palo Alto — even enduring a coaching and conference change with the Cardinal.
But the 7-foot-1 center proved he could adjust to the Atlantic Coast Conference rigors. He lifted his points per game to a career-best 20.2 per game. He snatched an ACC-best 10.6 rebounds per game as well.
The French standout even raised his game another level against two March Madness teams — one during conference play. He dropped 29 points with 11 rebounds against Grand Canyon University, then scored 25 with 13 rebounds in the Jan. 18 upset of North Carolina.
Raynaud dropped in the draft largely due to his suspect defense. He lacked physicality down low and sometimes looked slow getting to some of his rebounds. But he's a needed post scorer and force on the offensive rebounding end. He heads to a place that can use glass help for Domantas Sabonis inside.
Grade: B
