The Sacramento Kings’ winning streak was extremely short-lived, and they have now dropped two straight after losing to the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are one of the few teams in the league where most would expect the Kings to have a chance to win with their level of talent. However, Utah looked like the far better team all night. 

Even with Zach LaVine coming out of his slump and Keegan Murray putting in another good performance, the Kings just weren’t sharp enough offensively, and Utah’s size proved to be too much of an advantage. 

One silver lining was Doug Christie turning to Maxime Raynaud, who had his best game of the season by far.

“One of our pieces for sure, I really love what I’m seeing from him on both ends of the floor,” Christie said about Raynaud.

Sacramento Kings signed No. 42 pick Maxime Raynaud to a three-year, $5.95 million deal, which is fully guaranteed the first two seasons and includes a third-year team option, sources told @hoopshype. He averaged 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks last season at Stanford. pic.twitter.com/ch9yw3QIHc

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 2, 2025Raynaud makes his presence felt

Raynaud was the 42nd pick of the draft out of Stanford, where he averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds per game. In spite of those great numbers, Raynaud was expected to need some time to adjust to the NBA. Max’s minutes have been up and down so far this season, but Friday night may be a turning point for him. 

In 22 minutes, Raynaud put up 19 points, knocked down a three, and was the only bench player with a positive plus/minus tonight. Max ended up outpacing both Drew Eubanks and Precious Achiuwa in minutes tonight, which may be a sign of things to come. Christie knows Raynaud still has improvements to make, but he’s confident that he’ll get there.

“He’s going to get stronger, he’s going to understand leverage, he’s going to understand all of those things,” Christie said.

19 points is a career high for Raynaud, and he did it in a variety of ways, which may be the most impressive part. His touch around the basket really shined, and he also showed off some athleticism as he ran the floor for a few easy buckets. 

Eubanks has had his moments this year, but Raynaud is the more skilled player, and at 7-foot-1, he’s the best option for Sacramento to compete with bigger teams. With Domantas Sabonis out, Max should continue to get opportunities to play and show that he can be a key part of the Kings’ future. 

CAREER-HIGH pour Maxime Raynaud ! 🇫🇷 👑

19 POINTS (16 dans le 4ème)
7/11 au tir
4 REBONDS
1 BLOCK

Malgré une lourde défaite, encourageant pour le frenchie des @SacramentoKings pic.twitter.com/BtXkVhU4mK

— NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) November 29, 2025

Raynaud isn’t exactly known for his defense, however, he more than held his own against the Jazz and looks to be figuring it out on that end. Although he had a nice block on Brice Sensabaugh on Friday, Max isn’t going to be a guy who racks up a lot of blocks, at least now. What he can do is use his size and mobility to protect against some of the defensive breakdowns that have plagued the Kings all season. 

Sabonis is a smart player and knows how to defend, but his lack of size can make it easier for opponents to put him in action and take advantage. Raynaud’s size alone changes how you have to attack him, and if he can continue to improve his positioning, he can be a consistent positive on that end. 

5. Milk carton group shot. The Kings’ bench had nothing to give in this game. Rookie Maxime Raynaud led the second unit with 19 of their total 28 points. The plus/minus for almost every individual player was in double figures, except Raynaud. Dennis Schröder was missed.

— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) November 29, 2025

Sabonis’ future has become a little murky after a tough start to the season and comments about his issues with his role offensively. If he does end up staying with the team, Raynaud should be right behind him in minutes at the five spot. 

For now, there’s an argument to be made that Max should be starting while Domas is sidelined. His ability to stretch the floor does a lot for the Kings’ spacing, and that has been one of the main issues for the starting unit recently. 

The main detriment for Raynaud has to be rebounding. The Kings are an awful rebounding team and have to rely on Russell Westbrook and Keegan Murray, as they haven’t gotten much from their bigs in that department. Raynaud was only able to pull down four boards in 22 minutes, and the Kings need more production than that with or without Sabonis in the lineup.

Between Scott Perry’s comments in his interview with Sam Amick, Christie’s comments on Friday night, and Raynaud’s play, it feels like Max will be a part of the next phase of Sacramento basketball. 

With Sabonis’ future in the air and no other long-term options at the five, it’s great to see that Raynaud is capable of playing big minutes and competing on both ends. The Kings haven’t always been great about keeping their second-round picks, but they definitely made the right decision this time and may have one of the bigger steals of the draft if Raynaud continues to improve.

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