Without question, Maxime Raynaud was one of 2025-2026's surprise breakout rookie stars. But that was then, and this is now. Raynaud is in his second season and has to get aggressive on the court. It's time that the young French center unleashed Mad Max on the Sacramento Kings' opponents.
When the Kings drafted Raynaud deep in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, no one thought much of it. He was a solid player in college. The expectation was that he might make a reasonable backup for Domantas Sabonis. As it turned out, he became far more than that.
Sabonis, like several other veteran Kings, missed most of last season due to injury. Sacramento made the choice to start Raynaud in his stead. Rather unexpectedly, the rookie was suddenly getting a ton of minutes and developing at an unbelievable rate. The rest, they say, is history.
2026-2027 begins for Raynaud
Raynaud had a spectacular first season in the NBA, but there's no time to rest on his laurels. The 2026-2027 preseason has begun, and the Kings just got broken in half by the Lakers. That's not a huge surprise as Luke Doncic was in the mix. It might have only been 15 minutes, but he's still Luka.
While Raynaud did play well, he was still getting bullied by the other team at times. This was the biggest issue with his rookie season. He wasn't aggressive and found it difficult, particularly when he found himself facing off with stronger and/or more experienced centers, to assert himself.
That was definitely the case against the Lakers. There has been improvement on Raynaud's part, but it's time for him to find that next gear as a center and as a power forward. If he's going to be a big in the NBA, he has to play like a big in the NBA. It's time he unleashed Mad Max.
Mad Max enters the chat
For Raynaud to find his full potential in this league, whether he's with the Kings or not, he has step in to a game and go to work. That means not getting bullied, staying assertive, and bringing up that aggression a few notches. He didn't put on 20 to 25 pounds of muscle to not dominate.
The Kings need Mad Max. They need Raynaud to fight for literally every ball, every rebound, every possession, and every point. They have to see him plow through the defense on the way to the hoop. And the opposing team has to change plans because they see him protecting the paint.
Raynaud is more than capable of being that guy. His double-big partner Dylan Cardwell already has that kind of confidence. If they keep working together with Cardwell at center and Raynaud at power forward, then Mad Max will continue progressing and eventually find that version of himself.
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