{"id":269160,"date":"2026-04-15T14:48:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T14:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/269160\/"},"modified":"2026-04-15T14:48:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T14:48:34","slug":"maxime-raynaud-has-this-in-common-with-an-all-star-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/269160\/","title":{"rendered":"Maxime Raynaud has THIS in common with an All-Star center"},"content":{"rendered":"

Maxime Raynaud is already at the center of many conversations as the 2025\u201326 NBA season comes to a close, especially for a Sacramento Kings fanbase searching for optimism.<\/p>\n

With the season officially over, teams that fell short of the postseason are left to reflect on what went wrong, or in some cases, what went according to plan for those eyeing the future through a rebuild.<\/p>\n

For fans, this is often the time to look for silver linings\u2014reasons to believe brighter days are ahead.<\/p>\n

In Sacramento, those conversations frequently circle back to Raynaud, the Kings\u2019 rookie 7-footer from France, whose development could play a significant role in shaping the team\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

\"SACRAMENTO,<\/p>\n

(Photo by Don Collier\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

More on Maxime Raynaud<\/p>\n

Maxime Raynaud was selected 42nd in the 2025 draft but has since appeared on multiple publications\u2019 re-drafts within the top 20. <\/p>\n

In 74 games, the center from Stanford has averaged 12.5 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 26.5 MPG on 61.9 True Shooting Percentage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His strong season is even more impressive when you consider he was picked in the middle of the second round, while some first-rounders were struggling to find time for themselves in the NBA. <\/p>\n

Yang Hansen was drafted 16th overall by Portland and is a notable Center who had relatively high hype going into draft night, but his game has not translated well at the NBA level, averaging 2.2 PPG 1.5 APG 0.5 APG 7.0 MPG on 41.3% True Shooting in 43 games. <\/p>\n

Maxime Raynaud has been very open with the media about thinking he should have been selected higher, including asserting himself as the \u201cbest big in the (2025) rookie class.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0 His confidence is high, and that is a great sign for any young player, especially when the numbers reflect it.<\/p>\n

When looking at Maxime Raynaud\u2019s rookie season, it is hard not to look at his veteran teammate, Russell Westbrook, and how he has helped him grow.<\/p>\n

\"NEW<\/p>\n

(Photo by Tyler Kaufman\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Many fans are wondering whether the rookie\u2019s stats and performance are a product of being on a bad team, where it is easier to stand out with increased usage and an admitted game plan to maximize young players\u2019 growth night in and night out.<\/p>\n

But what about comparing him to other young big men on disappointing teams of the past?<\/p>\n

That should be a useful comparison to make an educated guess about what exactly we can look forward to in Maxime\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

If only there were a team with a young big man and a veteran like Russell Westbrook leading at point guard. Well, what many fans forget is that Russell Westbrook and his fellow current King, Domantas Sabonis, played together for the 2016-17 Oklahoma City Thunder.<\/p>\n

It was the season after Kevin Durant left for Golden State, Sabonis\u2019s rookie year, and Russell Westbrook\u2019s MVP season. The Thunder were the 6th seed, but they were dreadful without Westbrook on the floor and were bounced in the first round by the Houston Rockets.<\/p>\n

In this disappointing season, Sabonis was taken under Russell Westbrook\u2019s wing in a very familiar rookie-vet relationship that we can see Westbrook has applied to his relationship with Maxime Raynaud.<\/p>\n

The Thunder had vastly different goals from this Kings team, whereas Russ had made it a priority to find Maxime for easy shots this season, Sabonis would not be his primary target under the rim in OKC, with Steven Adams having the veteran savvy of being in the right place at the right time.<\/p>\n

\"OKLAHOMA<\/p>\n

(Photo by Joshua Gateley\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

That season, Sabonis averaged 5.9 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 20.1 MPG on 46.9 True Shooting Percentage. By all means, worse statistics than what Max is showing, and that probably has more to do with OKC\u2019s focus as a team rather than individual talent or skill between them.<\/p>\n

In the 2016-17 season, Westbrook\u2019s most-assisted player was Steven Adams with 189 assists throughout the Regular Season. Sabonis came in fifth with 78 assists from Russ. This season, Russell Westbrook has assisted Maxime Raynaud 102 times, which is by far the most, coming in at 48 assists more than the next player on that list (DeMar DeRozan).<\/p>\n

We all know how well Sabonis turned out as an NBA player, consistently topping the NBA rebounds per game season leaders and having that all-star season in 2023 with the Beam Team Kings. It is hard to tell the outcome of rookies, even if they are one of the best in their class (I am looking at you, Tyreke Evans), but there is something to be said about having a good veteran presence and what that does for NBA players\u2019 success.<\/p>\n

The NBA is a crazy world to navigate; the lights are bright, and there are a lot of pitfalls to fall victim to. A large number of drafted players don\u2019t even get a second contract, so having that support system is huge. Every Kings fan has an opinion on the way the team handled the season.<\/p>\n

Still, Russell Westbrook, by all accounts, has been instrumental in the development of every rookie he has ever been able to mentor and lead. Living proof of that just so happened to be sitting on the Sacramento Kings\u2019 bench for much of this season.<\/p>\n

When is the next Sacramento Kings offseason date of interest?<\/p>\n

The Sacramento Kings will now look ahead to the highly anticipated NBA Draft Lottery, which is set for Sunday, May 10th.<\/p>\n

Sacramento hasn\u2019t secured the top pick in the NBA Draft since 1989, when it selected center Pervis Ellison with the first overall selection.<\/p>\n

Be sure to stay locked in to Sactown Sports 1140 all offseason for NBA Draft Lottery coverage, NBA Draft previews and analysis, NBA Summer League content, and MUCH more!<\/p>\n

More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports<\/p>\n

Upcoming Sacramento Kings & NBA Offseason Schedule<\/p>\n

Tuesday, April 14th \u2013 NBA Play-In Tournament begins
\nSaturday, April 18th \u2013 NBA Playoffs begin
\nSunday, May 10th \u2013 NBA Draft Lottery
\nThursday, June 4th\u2013 NBA Finals begin
\nThursday, June 25th \u2013 NBA Draft (Round 1)
\nFriday, June 26th \u2013 NBA Draft (Round 2)
\nTuesday, June 30th \u2013 NBA Free Agency negotiation period begins (3 PM PT)
\nThursday, July 9th \u2013 NBA Las Vegas Summer League begins
\nMonday, July 13th \u2013 Free Agency moratorium ends \/ signings can become official<\/p>\n

Thank you for reading\u00a0SactownSports.com<\/a>. Follow us on\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Google News<\/a>, and subscribe to our\u00a0YouTube<\/a>\u00a0channel.<\/p>\n

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