If the Sacramento Kings didn't have enough problems to deal with this season, the injury bug has hit the team hard. This time, it's Domantas Sabonis who is expected to be out for several weeks. This opens the door for Maxime Raynaud to get more minutes and really develop into an NBA star.
Sabonis has had a tough season and sat out more than a few games due to injury. Even in recent games, it was obvious that he wasn't playing full steam. There were questions about whether he should even be on the court due to the extreme discomfort he was in. But ballers gonna ball.
It turns out that Sabonis has a torn meniscus that will keep him off the court for up to four weeks. The announcement also came at a really rough time for the Kings as Keegan Murray's first game this season back from injury was Sabonis's last game due to injury for about a month.
Being that he's the Kings' starting center, not to mention a clutch rebounder and scorer, losing Sabonis will be quite a hit for Sacramento. It also presents an opportunity, particularly for Maxime Raynaud, who needs some real time on the court to refine his game.
The Kings can and will give more minutes to Raynaud
In most of the games Sabonis has missed this season, Drew Eubanks has been the starting center. It's likely that the Kings will continue on that path as it makes the most sense. Eubanks can be a solid scorer and has moments of defensive brilliance. Sacramento will keep him in that spot.
If Eubanks is going to be the starter for the next few weeks, someone else needs to be the backup center. Since everyone knows that won't be Dario Saric as he's needed to hold down the bench so it doesn't float away, that means it's time for Raynaud to fill that role.
Raynaud has gotten inconsistent minutes at best, though that has slowly been changing. His best game of the season was against OKC, where he closed out with eight points and 10 rebounds. Recently, he picked up 12 points, three rebounds, one assist, and one block against the Grizzlies.
If the Kings give him more minutes, possibly even the occasional shot as a starter, the rookie center will develop by leaps and bounds in a few weeks. Maxime Raynaud has the potential to be a great player for the Kings, and this is his chance to prove it.