Nique Clifford

Offense

Nique Clifford brings a good mix of size, fluidity, and feel to the offensive that he is able to blend with a versatile skillset. Nique is a capable ball-handler with a diverse arsenal of moves, such as crossovers, spins, hesitations, and changes of pace dribbles that allow him to create offense from different parts of the floor.  However, he lacks some elusivity and isn’t always able to use his handles to create separation. I have some concerns that he had success in college as more of a “tough shot maker” than a space creator which doesn’t always translate well to the NBA where that space becomes even tougher to create.

Nique’s jumper is a mixed bag. Clifford has a bit of a mechanical release and a slow shot that’s far less effective when rushed or off the dribble. The one off-the-dribble shot that does seem to work for him is his step-back, particularly when used against bigs in switch situations. His effectiveness in catch-and-shoot situations is better, as he gets into his shot with balance and consistency when given time. However, NBA defenders may force him into quicker, less comfortable shots unless he can speed up his mechanics.

As a scorer inside, Clifford is more about finesse. He’s not an explosive vertical athlete, but has decent hang time and some decent fluidity to create angles and find windows to score. However, he does have some issues in general with his functional strength, and here his ability to finish through contact is inconsistent. While he had some And-1s after getting fouled, when he’d run into a player and get a sliver of space or if they walled up and he needed to finish through the ensuing collision, he seemed to lose some accuracy.

Another potential red flag is how reliant he is on his right hand. On left-side drives, he regularly spins back to his right or forces right-handed finishes, with very few left-hand layups. His reverse layup is a bit of an exception, but overall this right-hand dominance is a concern, particularly for a senior.  Maybe this is just my Marvin Bagley PTSD speaking (gets the Kings’ fan 1000 yard stare), but I’d prefer to see any player, but especially one his age be more comfortable scoring with either hand.

Nique does have excellent footwork, which helps him both as a driver and a shot creator in the midrange.  However, again, even those midrange shots tend to be pretty well contested and don’t always come with he separation you’d like to see from a 5th year senior going against a weaker level of competition.

Clifford is savvy moving without the ball and can be used in various actions, including cutting, screening, popping out for shots, or attacking off DHOs. He shows a high understanding of offensive flow and is good at reading and reacting to the defense and finding the soft spot as a sort of versatile Swiss army knife.

His rebounding adds extra value on both ends, as he has strong hands, and consistently crashes the glass, particularly on the defensive end. He’s a strong grab-and-go threat, and his team often relied on him to start the break. Defensively, he’s also willing to put a body on someone and box out, which always brings a smile to my face.

Clifford is also a fundamentally sound passer.  Nique has strong vision and read of the court and makes accurate passes. He does tend to be a bit safer and not amke many risky or fancy passes, but plays a fundamentally sound game and just hits his roller, swings and skips the ball, drives and kicks out, or pushes up court. He also has good anticipation and the ability to take a pass and immediately whip it to the next player for a better shot  He also has height to see over defense and see passing lanes and is good at sensing double team, which helps him find open players and avoid some sloppy turnovers.

While he’ll occasionally turn it over with the occasional misread or forced pass, the majority of his mistakes are more about spacing issues or teammate errors than bad processing.  The biggest concern that causes most of his turnovers is his inability to consistently create separation. This led to him picking what felt like at least one travel per game, throwing desperation passes, or simply getting stripped. NBA-level defenders will likely exacerbate this problem unless he makes a major improvement to his ability to create space.

Defense

Clifford’s defensive profile is …um.. let’s just say less optimistic. While he has length and a solid motor, his physical tools, such as his narrow frame, average lateral speed, and limited functional strength often limit his ability to create defensive impact.

Clifford’s issues start with his screen navigation. He struggles to stay attached and often gets completely taken out of plays by even modest contact. His momentum tends to die upon contact, as he doesn’t have the strength to fight through or the presence to take smart recovery angles. He’s not a complete disaster on screens, but it stood out and was definitely a bit of a red flag.

On-ball, his narrower frame, average lateral speed, and lack of functional strength make it easy for players to turn the corner on him and score easily inside.  Additionally, Nique’s charge of direction is fairly slow, especially north to south and he can struggle to recover from counter moves as he doesn’t always take good angles, which is surprising given his high offensive feel.  But offensive players don’t always need counters, some plays quicker guards and wings just turn on the jets and blow by him and Clifford lacks recovery speed and is often flat-footed limiting his his ability to get back into the play and make an impact after he’s beaten.  In fact, he sort of has a tendency to trail the play after getting beaten and doesn’t always make an impact (felt like I was watching Zach LaVine).  Although, some of this could be a factor of his heavy offensive load.

When he does manage to stay in front of drivers, he can also struggle to absorb contact, getting knocked off his spot or even knocked down multiple times during games. While he gives effort and shows a good understanding of where to be, his tools sometimes limit his impact.

Clifford is much better rotating and providing help for his teammates or playing a good team defense. He understands help assignments, switches with intent, and uses his length and anticipation well. He gets his hands on passes, rotates to contest shooters, and uses timing and length to block shots, particularly from the weak side. Though he’s not explosive, his anticipation and fluidity help him be a disruptive secondary defender.  Despite this, on closeouts, he can sometimes need to sell out to try to stop a shot due to his limited tools or struggles to change direction once his momentum is committed, allowing straight-line drives or quick counter moves for easy buckets and step backs.

Clifford is not a threat to switch onto big men as he lacks the strength to hold his ground in the post.  He is willing to help inside and has long arms that can create some extra congestion. But again the lack of strength or explosion makes it hard for him to have too much of an impact.

Clifford generates a high number of steals by jumping passing lanes, digging on drivers, and swiping the ball from unsuspecting handlers. He’s at his best in a free safety role where he can roam and read the game, rather than being asked to lock up scorers.