The Most Intriguing Position Battle For the Kings in Training Camp

The Sacramento Kings are now just a few days away from starting training camp, and with that said, there are a few training camp position battles to pay attention to, however, there is one position battle in particular that is worth watching.

That position battle is between Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell for the backup center position behind center Domantas Sabonis.

When it comes to this position battle, it will be very intriguing to see how the Kings try to decide the backup center, but also if Sacramento could possibly use a three center rotation to get Sabonis, Raynaud, and Cardwell minutes rather than just two of them.

Looking at the battle between Raynaud and Cardwell, it does appear that Rayanud may have the edge based on the fact that he ended up starting in place of Sabonis last year, but regardless he does still have to win the job this year.

So, let's take a look at the stats for Raynaud and Cardwell from the 2025 to see where this battle might be heading.

Starting with Raynaud, in 2025 he averaged 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 0.5 blocks, and 0.5 steals in 74 total games, while starting in 56 of those games. Raynaud was also quite efficient as he shot 57.1 percent from the field, 32.4 percent from three, and 78.6 percent from the free-throw line.

When looking at Raynaud's 2025 performance it is clear that he can contribute on both ends of the floor, and after starting 56 games a season ago he gained some very valuable experience that could be key for him in 2026.

On the other side of this battle, Cardwell was solid as he averaged 5.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks per game, and 0.7 steals per game while playing in 44 games overall and starting in one of those games. On the offensive side, Cardwell was decent in terms of efficiency as he shot 58.7 percent from the field, 50 percent from three, and 51 percent from the free-throw line.

After seeing Cardwell's production, it is also clear that he can contribute on both ends of the floor, and while he did not start a whole lot, his took advantage of the opportunities he got and became a great rotational option at the center position.

At this point, it does seem that Raynaud has the edge when it comes to experience, production, and efficiency overall, but ultimately, this job will be won during the game, so whoever plays better will win the job, plain and simple.

So, as the Kings head into training camp, it will be interesting to watch the backup center battle between Raynaud and Cardwell to see who ends up winning the job to backup Sabonis, but it is possible that regardless of who wins the job during camp, the other player could still make a key contribution during the season.