One of the biggest surprises in the first quarter of the Sacramento Kings' season is the rapid rise of rookie center Maxime Raynaud. As it turns out, fans aren't the only ones noticing his incredible work. He recently cracked the top ten on the Kia Rookie Ladder, taking over the ninth spot.
The Kings don't have a lot going for them at the moment. They're currently sitting at 13 in the Western Conference with a record of six wins and 20 losses. Sacramento isn't the worst team in their conference or the NBA, but they are damn close to that ignominious honor.
Frankly, the roster doesn't lack talent or skill. They have four All-Stars on their starting line up, assuming everyone is healthy at the same time for once. But the team has no rhythm, partially due to its unbalanced structure as well as the seemingly endless barrage of injuries.
That's what makes Maxime Raynaud's success so important right now. It's something positive for the fans to latch onto, a glimpse of what the Kings could be if the rebuild works out. And it's nice to see one of the Kings get some real recognition for the hard work they're doing.
Maxime Raynaud climbs the ladder for the Kings
The Kia Rookie Ladder is a weekly update of the standings among the league's top rookie players, giving fans a strong idea of who will be this season's Rookie of the Year. Naturally, it will evolve and change throughout the season, but it is a window into which draft picks are delivering.
For the first time this year, one of the Kings' rookies made the cut. Specifically, Maxime Raynaud has joined the top ten list. His growth this season has been astonishing, particularly in the absence of All-Star center Domantas Sabonis. Raynaud is the Kings' starting center will Sabonis is out.
Not surprisingly, Cooper Flagg is number one on the ladder with the top five rounded out by Kon Knueppel, Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears, and VJ Edgecombe. Raynaud has entered the list at number nine, sitting between Ryan Nembhard at eight and Ryan Kalkbrenner at 10.
Again, this list doesn't define who will be ROTY, particularly this early in the season. What it does prove is that Raynaud is delivering in a big way for the Kings, and might at least be in the running for such a prestigious award. His competition is stiff, but Maxime seems to like a good challenge.