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Nique Clifford vs. Noah Penda: 2025–26 season

hussEyquation2025–26 season · regular-season impact
Regular-season verdict

Noah Penda leads in impact for 2025–26

Noah Penda ranks ahead of Nique Clifford in estimated impact while playing. This compares regular-season performance, not total contribution across the season.

Impact comparison

Impact estimate is measured in points per 100 possessions above league average. Zero is average; higher is better. Impact Rate rank is a league place, not a 0–100 score: No. 1 is best.

-0.24Impact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.20Leads
#311Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#304Leads
+0.76LeadsEstimated defensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions-0.67
+0.43LeadsEstimated offensive impactSelected-season lineup estimate · points per 100 possessions-0.60
1.7%Steal rate1.9%Leads
15.4%LeadsTurnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload15.8%
17.0%Offensive usage14.8%
50.5%True shooting %50.6%Leads
13.0%LeadsAssist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court12.5%
8.4%Rebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court13.8%Leads
75Games59
1,882Minutes757

Noah Penda's estimated impact per 100 possessions was -0.20, compared with -0.24 for Nique Clifford. This compares their impact while playing, not their total contribution across the season. Both players are compared in the 2025–26 season using its published Impact Rate. A ranked comparison requires at least 450 minutes for each player.

Nique Clifford: 75 games and 1,882 minutes. Noah Penda: 59 games and 757 minutes. Playing time matters when judging the whole season; the impact estimate above is a rate, not a season total.

Nique Clifford ended a larger share of his team’s possessions, so the turnover rates are not an equal-workload comparison. Offensive usage measures the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on the court—not every touch, pass, or act of playmaking. These rows provide context; they are not extra points added to the ranking.

Regular season only. Impact figures are estimates; small gaps are not exact. Playoffs, awards and titles do not determine the verdict.

2025–26 season · regular-season impacthusseyquation.com/compare/nique-clifford/noah-penda/2025-26

Behind the estimate

Why the model rates them this way

The model starts with each player’s recorded individual stats, then adjusts that estimate using lineup results. The first two rows add up to the final estimate. All figures are points per 100 possessions.

Nique CliffordMetricNoah Penda
-0.56From recorded individual stats+0.09Leads
+0.32LeadsAdjustment from recent lineup results-0.29
-0.24Final estimated impact-0.20Leads

Lineup evidence: Nique Clifford — 1 season; Noah Penda — 1 season. This adjustment is not necessarily based on the selected season alone.

Offensive and defensive lineup estimates for the selected season

These selected-season estimates account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive means better than average; a positive defensive figure means fewer points allowed. They are separate estimates—not additional points added to the calculation above. They do not measure how much individual teammates improved.

Nique CliffordMetricNoah Penda
+0.43LeadsAdjusted offensive impact-0.60
+0.76LeadsAdjusted defensive impact-0.67

What this does not establish: these figures do not prove that either player made his teammates shoot better. A verified teammate-shooting comparison is unavailable for this selected season. A small difference in the estimates is not a decisive basketball distinction.

Share this comparisonSocial card: every summary row. Link preview: six key figures.

Full comparison · 2025–26 season

Understand the numbers

Start with impact, then compare playing time and skills. Team results add context. These are not categories to tally into a winner.

1 · Ranking evidence

Impact: who ranks higher, and why?

The impact estimate compares performance while playing, not total contribution over the season. The individual-stat estimate plus the lineup adjustment gives the final estimate.

Impact: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
Impact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.24-0.20Better result for this metric.
Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#311#304Better result for this metric.
From recorded individual stats-0.56+0.09Better result for this metric.
Adjustment from recent lineup results+0.32Better result for this metric.-0.29

Nique Clifford: 1 season of lineup evidence. Noah Penda: 1 season of lineup evidence. The adjustment is not necessarily based on this season alone.

Show more stats: Impact
Impact: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
Final estimated impact-0.24-0.20Better result for this metric.

2 · Playing time and responsibility

How much did each player take on?

Read games and minutes alongside impact. Offensive usage is the share of team plays a player ends with a shot, free throws, or a turnover while on court. More usage is not automatically better.

Playing time and workload: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
Games7559
Minutes1,882757
Offensive usage17.0%14.8%

3 · Individual skills

Where does each player have an advantage?

These figures describe the selected regular seasons. They provide context, not extra points added to the verdict. Green marks the better result for a metric, including lower turnover rates. Workload and shot-selection measures stay neutral. These rows are not votes toward the ranking.

Shooting

True shooting includes two-pointers, three-pointers, and free throws.

Shooting: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
True shooting percentage50.5%50.6%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Shooting
Shooting: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
Field-goal percentage41.8%Better result for this metric.40.4%
Three-point percentage33.3%Better result for this metric.32.3%
Free-throw percentage72.2%Better result for this metric.68.8%
Three-point attempt rateShare of field-goal attempts taken from three; describes shot selection, not quality38.8%45.8%

Passing

Assist rate is the share of teammates’ made shots assisted while the player is on court. Read turnovers alongside offensive workload; lower turnover rate is generally better.

Passing: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
Assist rateShare of teammates’ made shots assisted while on court13.0%Better result for this metric.12.5%
Assists per game2.4Better result for this metric.1.2
Show more stats: Passing
Passing: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
Turnover rateLower is better; compare alongside offensive workload15.4%Better result for this metric.15.8%

Rebounding

Rebound rate is the share of available rebounds collected while on court.

Rebounding: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
Rebound rateShare of available rebounds collected while on court8.4%13.8%Better result for this metric.
Rebounds per game3.8Better result for this metric.3.2

Defense

Steals and blocks describe only part of defense. They do not capture every stop, rotation, or matchup.

Defense: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
Steal rate1.7%1.9%Better result for this metric.
Show more stats: Defense
Defense: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
Block rateShare of opponents’ two-point attempts blocked while on court1.2%2.2%Better result for this metric.

Scoring

Points per game describe scoring volume, not overall impact.

Scoring: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
Points per game8.6Better result for this metric.3.8

4 · Team context, not ranking inputs

What happened with and without them?

A verified with/without comparison is unavailable for this scope. We do not substitute another season’s observations.

Selected-season adjusted lineup estimates

These account for who played alongside and against each player. Positive defense means fewer points allowed. They are separate from the observed results and are not additional points added to the model calculation.

Adjusted lineup estimates: Nique Clifford and Noah Penda
MetricNique CliffordNoah Penda
Adjusted offensive impact+0.43Better result for this metric.-0.60
Adjusted defensive impact+0.76Better result for this metric.-0.67

Four separate questions

Impact, winning, playoffs, and awards

These are different ways to understand a career. Only Regular Season Impact determines the hussEyquation verdict. The other three sections add basketball context without adding points or changing the rank.

Career to date. At least one player is active. Every total below stops after the latest completed season in this data; nothing is projected.

Ranking result

Regular Season Impact

Noah Penda leads in impact for 2025–26.

Nique CliffordMetricNoah Penda
-0.24Impact estimateEstimated points per 100 possessions above league average · higher is better-0.20Leads
#311Impact Rate rankLeague place · No. 1 is best#304Leads

This is the ranking result. It uses regular-season impact only. Team records, playoffs, and awards do not change it.

Context

Team Success

Noah Penda leads every available measure below.

Nique CliffordMetricNoah Penda
22Listed-team regular-season wins45Leads
26.8%Listed-team winning percentage54.9%Leads
050-win team seasons0
060-win team seasons0
0Playoff team seasons1Leads

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Final records for every listed team-season. A traded season can include more than one team.

Context

Playoff Résumé

No recorded measure separates these careers.

Nique CliffordMetricNoah Penda
Not availablePlayoff appearances1
Not availablePlayoff games1
Not availableTeam playoff wins3
Not availableFinals appearances0
Not availableChampionships0

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Team playoff results count only seasons when the player appeared in a playoff game.

Context

Awards

No recorded measure separates these careers.

Nique CliffordMetricNoah Penda
Not availableAll-StarNot available
Not availableMVPNot available
Not availableAll-NBANot available
Not availableAll-DefenseNot available
Not availableDPOYNot available
Not availableRookie of the YearNot available

Context only. Not included in Career Impact Rank. Major regular-season honors are recognition, not inputs to the impact ranking.

How each context field is counted
Listed-team regular-season wins
The sum of each listed team's final wins in every season the player represented that team.
Listed-team winning percentage
Those team wins divided by those teams' total regular-season games.
50- and 60-win team seasons
Listed team-seasons that finished with at least 50 or 60 wins. Shortened seasons are not projected to 82 games.
Team seasons reaching playoffs
Listed team-seasons in which that team qualified for the playoffs.
Playoff appearances and games
Postseasons and games in which the player appeared.
Team playoff wins
Team wins from those postseasons. They describe team results, not individual credit.
Finals appearances and championships
Seasons when the player appeared in the playoffs for the finalist or champion.
Awards
Recorded NBA selections and major regular-season honors. A zero means the source records none; Not available means the source field is missing.

Source and scope Basketball Reference, NBA seasons 1950–51 through 2025–26, accessed 2026-10-09. Active-career totals are results to date through the latest completed season in the source.

Selected seasons

Box impact

Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.

Nique CliffordNoah Penda

Estimated points per 100 possessions above that season's league average

1
Both bars show the same NBA season. Missing or unqualified data does not establish a winner.