Fresh off international duty, the French standout joins a rolling Sacramento squad in Nevada, bringing elite interior scoring and historic rookie efficiency to an undefeated Summer League roster.
After a stellar 3-0 performance in the California Classic, the Sacramento Kings' kick off the Las Vegas-portion of the NBA Summer League on Thursday against the Los Angeles Clippers.
The roster will remain the same for the most part, but the Kings will receive a huge boost from the addition of Maxime Raynaud, who will rejoin the team following his time in France.
Raynaud, who is coming off an All-Rookie Second Team season, had previously been representing France as part of their World Cup qualifying squad.
The Frenchman missed the team's first game, but had an emphatic return against Finland, leading France in scoring with 16 points.
Raynaud looked explosive during the qualifier, recording multiple dunks and strong finishes on the inside.
Heading to Las Vegas, Raynaud's offensive firepower makes the Kings one of the deepest teams in the competition, as Darius Acuff Jr. gets another weapon to play alongside.
After being picked No. 42 overall two drafts ago, Raynaud averaged 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds on stellar 57.1-percent shooting, holding down the Kings' front court without Domantas Sabonis.
In March, following the All-Star Break, Raynaud really turned it on, earning Rookie of the Month honors.
The 7-foot-1 big man poured in over 17 points per game in his 15 appearances, joining Otis Thorpe and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the only rookies in NBA history to record 250 or more points and 125 or more rebounds on at least 59-percent shooting from the field, according to a Kings press release.
One of Raynaud's top performances of the season came in late March, recording a career-high 32 points, adding nine rebounds and knocking down two 3-pointers against his national teammate Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs.
Now, Raynaud will bolster a front court unit of Dylan Cardwell and Viktor Lahkin, who both played well during the California Classic.
Cardwell's play really stood out, as the former Auburn standout recorded 12 points, 12 rebounds, four steals, and four blocks in the Kings' most recent victory.
While Cardwell's calling card is not on the offensive end, an emphasis has been put on him being more aggressive, and using his strength on the offensive glass to get easy looks.
Following the game, Cardwell spoke on the team's mindset and wanting to put on a show on their home floor.
"We're not going to let teams come in here and punk us anymore," Cardwell said.
Now, moving away from Sac Town, the focus remains the same.
Acuff will also have an opportunity to compete against Clippers guard Keaton Wagler, who was picked two spots ahead of him (No. 5 overall).
The Kings look to remain undefeated against Los Angeles at 11:00 p.m.
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