If there's one positive thing to say about the Sacramento Kings as an organization, they draft pretty well. One of their 2025 Draft Class members, Maxime Raynaud, is getting more minutes when Sabonis is out and showing some incredible improvement as time goes on.
Say what you want about Domantas Sabonis, but the guy is a hard act to follow. He's an elite scorer and rebounder, not to mention a solid passer for a big man. While his numbers aren't where they have been in years past, he remains a steadfast offensive threat at the five.
Unfortunately, he's been dealing with a bit of an injury bug this season. He missed a smattering of games across the first 15, and is now out for a few weeks thanks to a meniscus injury. With the return of Keegan Murray, the Kings seem to be thriving without their All-Star center.
Drew Eubanks, a veteran center who joined the roster over the summer, has become the Kings' starter with Domantas out. But the weight of that change is not solely on his shoulders as rookie center Maxime Raynaud has stepped into the secondary role and is rising to the challenge.
Maxime Raynaud steps into the spotlight
During the course of the preseason, Raynaud showed off his skills on offense and defense. He definitely let the Kings know they made the right choice drafting him. That didn't guarantee him any minutes during the regular season, though, particularly with so much in flux on the roster.
In the games since Sabonis was sidelined, Raynaud has made the most of every opportunity he has been given. This effort doesn't always show up in the stat sheets, like how hard the kid is playing and his success on defense. That being said, he did just pick up 19 points against the Jazz.
Not surprisingly, Raynaud lacks consistency. That will come with time, experience, and repetition, three things he is getting in the absence of Sabonis. One thing that is nice to see is him taking more shots. It would be even better to see more of them go in, but that will improve as he plays more.
While Sacramento has been forced into this position by Sabonis's injury, it's good to see the Kings giving Raynaud minutes. They could just as easily have left him on the bench and split the time between Eubanks and Precious Achiuwa. This is a sign that Sacramento is finally looking to the future.