The Sacramento Kings did well in the 2025 NBA Draft, picking up Nique Clifford and Maxime Raynaud. Despite both players having good preseasons, only one of them has been getting minutes in the regular season, leaving fans to wonder what's going on with Maxime Raynaud.
Without question, the preseason was incredibly good to Nique Clifford. He did so well that he was tapped to start in place of the injured Keegan Murray in the final preseason game and the first regular-season game. He was doing well, but has been out injured since that one game.
Dylan Cardwell has been another interesting story, an undrafted rookie the Kings signed. Like Clifford, he had a solid preseason that has led to playing in a couple of regular-season games. He's gotten decent minutes and managed to have a bit of an impact. For a rookie, he's done reasonably well.
Playing Clifford and Cardwell has been a good move by the Kings. They're rookies who need to get reps in during live games to grow with the team. It will help their development greatly. That's why it seems so strange that Maxime Raynaud has been riding the pine almost all season.
Maxime Raynaud earned a shot from the Kings
Raynaud did quite well in the preseason, playing in all four games and collecting 23 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. It was a good performance from the rookie, who turned a few heads with his defensive play. It seemed like the Kings had something going with Maxime.
In the season-opening game against the Phoenix Suns, Raynaud played but was relatively quiet. He didn't score but did get four rebounds and two assists. It wasn't terrible for his first NBA game. The problem is that he hasn't played since, riding the bench for three straight games.
Keep in mind that he's not injured, and absences have been listed as a coach's decision. This is disappointing as Raynaud was showing potential, but the Kings are not capitalizing on it at all. Keeping him off the court won't do much for his development, either.
It's still early in the season, so there are plenty of opportunities to get Raynaud on the court. Yet, the Kings should consider putting him in more games earlier in the season and see how he grows into the opportunity. The coaches and front office need to have a clearer image of him and how he fits in.