Former Cardinal Raynaud Avoids Worst-Case Scenario After Knee Injury

The Sacramento Kings will be without Maxime Raynaud for a little bit. But luckily, he appears to have avoided the worst-case scenario. This weekend, it was reported that Raynaud suffered a patellar subluxation and will be reevaluated in two weeks.

The Stanford basketball alum injured his knee in a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night while setting a screen for rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr., who came around him, but Raynaud's knee gave out on the play. He needed a wheelchair to get off the court. The Kings lost the game 111-106.

Initially, the injury looked like a worst-case scenario, one that would cost the former second-round draft pick most of the 2026-2027 NBA season. Raynaud is now expected to return and be a core part of the Kings' lineup this season, creating a sigh of relief for the Kings organization.

Raynaud, the No. 42 overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft, burst onto the scene as a rookie. Playing in 74 games (56 starts), he averaged 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists, earning an NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection. The Kings are still deep in a rebuild heading into this season, and could look to build around Raynaud entering his second professional season.

Playing at Stanford from 2021 to 2025, he flew under the radar his first two seasons on The Farm. Raynaud started five games as a true freshman, averaging 4.5 points, 3.8 rebounds and 0.8 assists. The next season, he started 23 out of the 33 games he played in, improving his scoring average to 8.8 points per game while averaging 6.1 rebounds.

Raynaud broke out as a junior and proved to be a key part of Stanford's recipe for success. Averaging 15.5 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists, he earned several accolades including Pac-12 Most Improved Player and Second-team All-Pac-12 honors.

After the program fired coach Jerod Haase following the 2023-2024 season, he entered the transfer portal, but ultimately decided to stay on The Farm, committing to play for new head coach Kyle Smith. Raynaud's senior season was his best as a college basketball player.

Averaging 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds, he went toe-to-toe with some of the marquee players in college basketball such as Duke's Cooper Flagg and earned First-team All-ACC honors. Raynaud was in first-round draft pick conversations, but his older age for an NBA rookie (22 years old) and being a late bloomer in college were factors in him falling to the second round.

Raynaud quickly proved himself to be a draft steal, and now that he has shown the Kings what he is made of, the goal is for him to continue to grow and evolve into a top center in the NBA. The Kings are not expected to compete for the playoffs this season, but if he keeps playing at a high level when he returns from injury, it will be an encouraging sign of what's to come.

Raynaud will miss the rest of the preseason, but making sure he is fully healthy before returning is the focus. The Kings face the Portland Trail Blazers at home on Tuesday at 7 p.m. before hitting the road to face the San Antonio Spurs for their final preseason game on Friday, Oct. 16. 

The Kings play their opening night game on Wednesday, Oct. 21 on the road against the Los Angeles Clippers. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m.