Wow, the Sacramento Kings scored the steal of the 2025 NBA Draft by getting Maxime Raynaud at 42nd overall in the second round. He became a breakout rookie and a huge success story in the league. But his rookie season is over, and Raynaud has to work to avoid a sophomore slump.
A lot of things went wrong for the Kings in 2025-2026, but they drafted incredibly well. Nique Clifford picked up serious steam and is on track to become a great small forward. Dylan Cardwell went undrafted, but the Kings signed him, and he has proven to have an incredibly high ceiling.
Then there's Raynaud, a French center who played on the same team as Victor Wembanyama in France. They became close friends as well as teammates. But Raynaud didn't garner the same attention as Wemby, despite also being a seven-foot player with huge potential.
The rest of the league slept on Raynaud in the 2025 NBA Draft, but the Kings decided to take a shot on him. That turned out to be an incredibly smart move as he became a top five rookie in the league as well as Sacramento's starting center. The best part is that this is just a taste of what he can do.
Raynaud's sophomore season with the Kings could be legendary
Going into his second season, expectations for Raynaud are high. The Kings are already looking at him as a core part of the rebuild and a full-on replacement for Domantas Sabonis. That's a lot of pressure to live up to, though this 23-year-old star seems more than up to the challenge.
His number one job has to be putting on some serious muscle, much like Wemby. Raynaud got bullied by bigger, more experienced players in the post last season. Time will help, but he also needs to get some more power on his side. That will improve his offense and his defense.
Raynaud also has to get more comfortable with his shot. That means from three as well as creating his own opportunities in the paint. He has to be able to put the ball on the floor, force his way in, and attack the rim. Without that, Raynaud will find reaching the next level difficult at best.
While he does have a solid defensive presence, Raynaud also has to work on his rim protection. Cardwell has proven to be an elite shot-blocker, but the Kings need the same from Raynaud. If they can shut the paint down together, the Kings will have a legitimately tough defense.
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