Maxime Raynaud, who the Kings drafted in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, continues to look like one of the biggest steals in his class. Will he work his way into a starting role?
The Sacramento Kings' front office drafted one of the biggest steals in last year's class, acquiring Stanford big man Maxime Raynuad midway through the second round.
Raynaud far outplayed his draft standing and expectations, making an All-Rookie team and showing real promise as a cornerstone piece for the franchise to build around.
This offseason, the second-year center participated in the FIBA qualifiers with the French National Team, where he was extremely effective in his opportunities.
The Frenchman missed the team's first FIBA 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.
Following a brief stint with the Kings' Summer League team, he returned overseas, playing with the full force of French's team.
Of course, this means Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama getting the nods as the starters in the front court, leaving Raynaud in a bench role.
This didn't stop him from producing averaging 13 points per game on stellar 72/50/100/ splits.
Raynaud had a very strong showing against Slovenia, scoring 13 points in less than ten minutes of gameplay.
The All-Rookie performer shined, making all eight of his free throws and missing just one shot from the field.
Raynaud also knocked down a 3-pointer, which has been a big emphasis from both him and the Kings' coaching staff.
"He had such a strong rookie season for us, even though we didn’t expect him to play as much as he did. We think we can probably play him with Domantas Sabonis some too, because of their skills," a Kings assistant coach told Spotrac's Keith Smith at Summer League. "Also, did you see him stepping out to shoot it more? We think that’ll be part of his game moving forward."
The continued development of Raynaud and his youth are attractive reasons to try to get him in the starting lineup.
With the recent developments surrounding starting big man Domantas Sabonis' agency change and trade rumors, Raynaud could return to the first unit before the season is up.
But, if not, he will fill in as one of the best bench centers in the NBA, learning from a talented offensive player in Sabonis.
Having both of these big men for Darius Acuff Jr. to work with in two-man actions is extremely beneficial for Sacramento's rookie guard, who excels in pick-and-roll and is a premier playmaker.
Dylan Cardwell is another piece of the puzzle, as his offensive game looked much-improved at Summer League.
With the potential defensive shortcomings in the starting five, Cardwell could be prioritized as a rim protector and high-energy defender.
Regardless, Raynaud has a deep, offensive bag for his size and will be a prime candidate for the Kings' rebuild.
