Despite the Sacramento Kings chalking up another tough loss, this time to the Utah Jazz, there were some bright spots in the game. Rookie center Maxime Raynaud had the best game of his young career, scoring 19 points and showing that he is the future of the franchise.
Alongside Nique Clifford, the Kings picked Raynaud up in the 2025 NBA Draft. It was nice, and somewhat unexpected, to see Sacramento willingly select a player who wasn't a guard. But it was also a new front office at that point, so the focus of the roster had already started to shift.
Raynaud had a solid preseason, enough so that fans were starting to get really excited about the young prospect. Naturally, he's still finding his feet in the league and had a slow start to the regular season. That doesn't mean he hasn't had flashes of early brilliance along the way.
In an early November loss to the Thunder, Raynaud finished two points shy of what would have been his first career double-double. He dropped 12 on the Grizzlies in what ended up being another loss. This game against the Jazz represented his best performance to date.
Maxime Raynaud stakes his claim with the Kings
In 22 minutes of time on the court, Raynaud scored 19 points on seven of 11 shooting from the field. He also shot 50% from three and 80% from the free-throw line. On top of that, he picked up four rebounds, one block, and didn't commit a single turnover. That's a solid game for a rookie center.
Starting center Drew Eubanks only ended up playing 13 minutes and finished with two points, four rebounds, and one block. On top of that, Raynaud was the only player off the bench who scored in double digits. The next closest was Malik Monk with five points, which is rather low for him.
With Domantas Sabonis out injured for an extended period, Raynaud is getting increased minutes on the court. That is translating into more development chances for the young athlete. If Sabonis returns from injury before he's traded, the Kings need to keep Maxime's momentum going.
This is what the future of the Sacramento Kings looks like. A young, talented center who can score and play defense. As Raynaud grows and matures into his game, he's only going to become more formidable. That's something the Kings will desperately need in their rebuild.