2025 Rookie Observation (27): Will the all-round wing team attract the attention of the playoff team?

Nique Clifford

Team: Colorado State University (NCAA)

Date of birth: February 2002

Birthplace: Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA

Position: Front guard swingman

Grade: Big Five

Naughty feet: 196.2cm

Wandspan: 203.2cm

Stand height: 260.5cm

Weight: 91.6kg

Trade: Josh Hart Hart)

American high school students ranking (2020): On3 rankings (no stars), 247 rankings (samsung), ESPN rankings (no stars), Rivals rankings (no stars)

Honors: 2025 Mountain West League Best Team First Team, 2025 Mountain West League Best Defensive Team, 2025 Mountain West League Championship MVP, 2025 Mountain West League Championship Best Team, 2024 Mountain West League's Best Team 3

Note 1: Clifford is a Colorado native. He was born in Colorado Springs and played in the local Colorado Springs in high school. When he chose the school, he chose the University of Colorado, which is about an hour away from home, but his performance in the first three years of college was not particularly ideal. By the summer of 2023, Clifford chose to transfer to Colorado State University, which is about two hours away from home. After joining Colorado State, his performance has improved significantly. He has been a key figure in the team last season. This season, he has become the team's number one star after two big five players, Isaiah Stevens and Joel Scott.

Note 2: Under the leadership of Clifford, Colorado State University's record this season has been further improved. The team won the division championship after 22 years and entered the second round in the National Championship. The last time the team entered the second round in the National Championship dates back to 2013.

This season's data:

36 appearances, 35.4 minutes per game, 18.9 points, 9.6 rebounds (1.5 frontcourt rebounds), 4.4 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.6 blocks, 2.6 turnovers and 2.4 fouls, shooting percentage of 49.6% (6.6/13.3), three-point shooting percentage of 37.7% (1.8/4.9), and free throw shooting percentage of 77.7% (3.9/5).

Advantages:

Clifford's physical talent and athletic ability are pretty good. Although it is not very outstanding, it is at least a basic level. His explosive power, bounce ability and impact power are still acceptable, and in the NCAA are enough to enable him to complete breakthroughs and launch an impact on his opponent's inside line.

Clifford has comprehensive scoring ability on the offensive end. His shooting ability is quite good. He can complete shots in different positions. He has good catch and shooting ability. He can also find shooting opportunities and space through his own dribbling. Clifford can also use breakthroughs and pick-and-rolls to complete the ending at the basket, and his finishing ability is also worthy of recognition.

Clifford also has good ability to move without the ball. In fact, he will still score a lot of points through move without the ball before this season. He actually has strong adaptability on the offensive end. Even with the reduction in ball rights, I believe he has the ability to find his presence on the offensive end in other ways.

Clifford still has good personal defense skills on the defensive end. He has done a good job of oppressing the ball holder. He can also use his outstanding physical talent and reliable defensive ability to create some pressure on his opponent. He also has a very good defense switching ability, and he can also defend against players from multiple positions of the opponent. His backcourt rebounding protection ability is definitely at the top level among players in the same position.

Clifford also has very good passing ability and support ability. He has very good defensive reading ability. He can find his opponent's defensive weaknesses and is good at cooperating with his teammates who are down after completing the pick-and-roll. He can also find teammates in the open position on the weak side or teammates who are empty cuts and send accurate passes.

Disadvantages:

Clifford actually has no fatal weaknesses. His physical talent and athletic ability may still be a certain gap compared to those of top stars, or it is not that outstanding. His shooting stability still has some room for improvement, and he also needs to do better in turnover control. Clifford has taken on a lot of ball rights this season. When he arrived in the NBA, it was obvious that he would experience changes in his role, and he also needed to readjust his role and positioning on the field.

On the other hand, Clifford has undertaken a lot of offensive tasks this season, which has also led to a certain decline in his performance on the defensive end.

The biggest problem with Clifford is probably his age. He is already a 23-year-old player and he has hardly performed much in the first two seasons in the NCAA.. Although Clifford has changed his boss, he has been playing in the Mountain West league. The overall strength of the opponents he has encountered is actually relatively average. Whether he can maintain such a level when facing stronger opponents and greater challenges is also a big question mark.

Expected market:

At present, Clifford's draft market is still relatively stable. With his outstanding performance and great progress this season, Clifford's draft market is also steadily improving, and he should be selected in the middle and late stages of the first round. Overall, Clifford's draft market is constantly improving, and considering that his performance in the NCAA are also improving one step a year, we have reason to believe that Clifford should maintain such a draft market, and even his draft market has the opportunity to further improve.

Personal prediction:

Personal belief that Clifford is actually a player with almost no shortcomings and a very high level of maturity. Clifford looks like an all-round player with both offense and defense. He can take on a lot of responsibilities in all aspects and his effect on the court is also visible to the naked eye. Clifford's performance is almost blameless, and he can play a role in all aspects, which is even more commendable. For playoff-level teams that need immediate combat power, Clifford is definitely an ideal candidate to consider. In my opinion, Clifford has the opportunity to launch a higher pick. Maybe some playoff-level teams will trade upwards and select him with a mid-season first round or even the edge of the lottery zone?

Target teams:

Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder, Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, San Antonio Spurs, Boston Celtics, and above are teams that hope to make breakthroughs in record next season. Among the things worth paying attention to include the Timberwolves, Magic and Thunder, because they all have more than one first-round pick, and they will also want to find some reliable candidates in the second team. Personally, I think the Timberwolves may have the highest demand for players like Clifford. They are facing huge salary pressure but need to find a rookie with enough combat power. In this case, Clifford can even be said to be the best candidate for them.