Without Domantas Sabonis at center, the Sacramento Kings are in a bit of a rough place, though Maxime Raynaud is using the opportunity to shine. In fact, head coach Doug Christie is so happy with the work the rookie is putting in and how much he's already improved that he's ready to see more.
Domantas Sabonis is currently out with a partially torn meniscus in his left knee. He has missed several games and will miss several more before he's recovered enough to return. While Sabonis isn't much of a force on defense, his reliable scoring, rebounding, and assists being gone is a problem.
The problem for the Kings is that they don't exactly have a solid backup center. They used to in Jonas Valanciunas, but then the Kings inexplicably traded him to the Nuggets for Dario Saric. And Saric hasn't played a minute since late October at this point, so they don't have much faith in him.
Sacramento also picked up Drew Eubanks in the offseason. He plays solid minutes for the team, but he's also not really a powerhouse at either end of the court. That's what has made Maxime Raynaud's rapid improvement as a rookie center so incredibly important.
Maxime Raynaud slowly finds his game with the Kings
While Raynaud is still working to find his rhythm, his improvement has been both impressive and relatively quick. He's not a full replacement for Sabonis yet, but he can hold down the paint. Doug Christie certainly thinks so as he's looking to give Raynaud more time on the court.
"“He's a young player so when it comes to leverage and physicality and some different things that he is learning right before our very eyes … As it slows down and he continues to improve, his minutes are going to go up.”"Doug Christie
This increased confidence in Raynaud and his abilities should make Sactown fans happy, as it bodes well for the Kings' future. Maxime has the potential to be the offensive threat Sabonis generally is, but with far greater defensive capabilities. This is something the coaching staff cannot ignore.
Raynaud isn't going to singled handedly turn this season or the franchise around. But with the right amount of time and development, he could play a big role in the rebuild. It certainly seems like that's where Christie's head is at since the best way to develop a young star is to get him on the court.