Overview
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 and played three seasons there 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 per game while posting 50/38/78 shooting splits on 13.3 field-goal attempts, 4.9 3-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 first-round upset of Memphis in the NCAA Tournament, and Colorado State almost beat Maryland in the second round before Derik Queen sank a game-winning buzzer-beater.
Analysis
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 were a few years younger. 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. 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 in the NBA (especially on defense).
Quotable
“The great thing about him is he’s got a great head on his shoulders. He has both his feet where he is. … Obviously, his talent is next level. Just the way he moves, sometimes it doesn’t take you long to see that he is moving a little differently than other guys on the floor.” — Colorado State teammate Ethan Morton, to the Denver Gazette
Some stats & tidbits
In the 2024-25 season, Clifford ranked third in the country in defensive rebounds per game with 8.1 … Father, Akai, named him after his favorite NBA player, Dominique Wilkins … Had a 5-inch growth spurt between his sophomore and junior years of high school, from 6 feet to 6-foot-5 …
Projection
Given their style of play and time in college, Milwaukee’s Kyle Kuzma (6-foot-9, 221 pounds) and Philadelphia’s Paul George (6-foot-8, 220 pounds) come to mind when projecting Clifford’s comparables. However, Kuzma and George were both taller and heavier than Clifford coming out of college, so let’s turn to Oklahoma City’s Jalen Williams (6-foot-5, 211 pounds) and Detroit’s Ron Holland (6-foot-8, 205 pounds). Williams has surpassed even the Thunder’s wildest dreams as the No. 12 pick in 2022, while 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 immediately, but at 23, he doesn’t have much time to develop.
— Profile by RotoWire.com