Maxime Raynaud's 2025-2026 has gone so well that the Sacramento Kings are most likely looking at him as a pillar of their rebuild process. His March performance has been incredible. He might not be a top candidate for Rookie of the Year, but the NBA All-Rookie First Team should be a lock.
When it comes to Raynaud, the Kings are in a full-blown Nikola Jokic scenario. Like the Joker, Raynaud was selected deep in the second round of the draft in the 40s. Also like Jokic, Raynaud has defied all expectations and has proven to be one of the best rookies in the league.
He has been playing incredible basketball since late November, with the month of March being no exception. Raynaud has scored in double digits in all but two games, has collected six double-doubles, and has two games where he's scored 30+ points.
On top of that, Raynaud has been improving on defense dramatically. He has 11 blocks this month as well as nine steals. While he's not exactly leading all rookies in this regard, those are some solid numbers for a rookie center and show his confidence is growing in that part of his game.
The league needs to honor Raynaud's meteoric rise
DeMar DeRozan, Raynaud's All-Star teammate and respected veteran, has been clear in his support of his rookie. He was incredibly disappointed that Raynaud was overlooked as a Rising Star during All-Star Weekend. DeRozan has also been clear that he expects Raynaud to be All-Rookie First Team.
The thing is that DeRozan is absolutely right. Raynaud's play has been impressive this year, with him being a fixture on the Kia Rookie Ladder. He has been as high on the list as fourth place and has been in the top five for a few weeks. Just like everything else in the NBA, nothing is guaranteed.
Again, leaving Raynaud out of the Rising Stars game was a surprise. Part of the issue is that he's playing for the worst team in the Western Conference, not to mention the fourth-worst team in the league. The optics of that can hurt a player's chances of getting All-Rookie recognition.
At this point, the high quality of gameplay that Raynaud has been consistently bringing since Domantas Sabonis was injured should overcome that potential issue. If he is left off the NBA All-Rookie First Team, that would be an absolute shame considering how great his first season has gone.