In a season of standout Sacramento Kings' rookies, the top dog is obviously, and unexpectedly, Maxime Raynaud. He has proven that throughout the month of February. Raynaud has been on his grind, recording three straight triple doubles in the last three games alone.
Maxime Raynaud leads all NBA rookies in double-doubles (11) and ranks second in rebounds per game (7.0)
— Frankie Cartoscelli (@FCartoscelli3) February 24, 2026
Over the past 10 games, he's looked like a first-round pick rather than the 42nd pick:
13.1 PTS
9.9 REB
1.5 AST
59% FG
29.2 MIN pic.twitter.com/WpZtAtLSGp
While many people saw the potential in Raynaud, no one could have expected how well his rookie season was going to go. As Frankie Cartoscelli pointed out, Maxime was drafted 42nd, but is playing so much better than that. The whole situation is starting to give of Jokic vibes, who was drafted 41st.
Fans really started to get a good look at Maxime when Domantas Sabonis was out injured for two months and Doug Christie decided to go with Raynaud as the starting center. Once the kid got rolling, it was a December to remember for him, one that launched him onto the Kia Rookie Ladder.
With the well-earned rise of fellow rookie Dylan Cardwell and the return of Sabonis, Raynaud's minutes and usage dipper dramatically. Now that Sabonis is out for the rest of the season, Maxime is the permanent starter and he is back to form, being an absolute force for Sacramento.
Maxime Raynaud is the future of the Kings
Raynaud's impact on the offense is impossible to ignore. Throughout the month of February, he's scored double digits in all but two games. When Sabonis returned, his average points per game dropped from 15.5 in December to 7.8 in January, Now, he's climbed back up to 13.0.
Even more impressive is the number of double-doubles he's pulled down. In December, he had six but only had one in January. That was the last game of the month, and at the point that Sabonis was all but done for the season. This month, he's got four, which includes three in a row. Again, no Sabonis.
On top of that, Raynaud's defense has shown a lot of improvement. He might not be the shot blocker and rim protector that Cardwell is, but Maxime is still a versatile defender with good lateral movement and quick hands. His average steals in February are at a season high of 0.9.
Early in the season, the Kings tossed Maxime Raynaud into the thick of it. He not only survived, he thrived, and has proven that he should be one of the players at the center of this rebuild alongside Dylan Cardwell and Nique Clifford. Whose house? Raynaud's house.