In today’s NBA, it’s paramount to have a center that offers enough versatility to shoot and facilitate as a hub on offense. The Sacramento Kings value this trait greatly as they currently employ Domantas Sabonis and have opted to play him at center instead of his more common power forward position.
To solve this, the Kings got tremendous value with the number 42 pick in the second round of the NBA Draft by selecting center Maxime Raynaud. Raynaud played at Stanford and was a four-year player who averaged 20.2 points and a conference-leading 10.6 rebounds per game as a senior. Raynaud adds offensive versatility and variance for a Kings team that often lacked imagination when Sabonis was off the floor.
Maxime Raynaud is a Perfect Pick for the Kings
In our coverage of the Raynaud selection, we gave the Kings an A for this pick, noting that he’s “not an above-the-rim finisher in the mold of a lob threat, but what he lacks in vertical pop, he makes up for with footwork, feel, and a crafty sense of timing.”. At Stanford, Raynaud was the engine of the offense, and he shot the three well with 34.7% on 5.5 attempts per game.
With the 42nd pick of the NBA Draft, the @SacramentoKings select Maxime Raynaud ( @maximeraynaud42)!
Second Round of the 2025 #NBADraft presented by State Farm is LIVE on ESPN! pic.twitter.com/LTvoxJFAl2
— NBA (@NBA) June 27, 2025
Raynaud fits a coveted new prototype in today’s NBA as a 7’1″ center with impressive shooting ability, rim protection capability, and a good feel as a passer. Those attributes will allow him to get NBA minutes almost immediately in Sacramento.
There are concerns about his lateral quickness and how that will translate defensively in the NBA, but for a pick in the middle of the second round, that is a risk worth taking if you’re the Kings. The more important aspect for them is that they got a center that can space the floor.
This is especially important for a Kings team that will be figuring out what they want to be offensively next season, as they brought in Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan via trades this past season. This is on top of trading the former face of the franchise, De’Aaron Fox, in the same year as well. The Kings will be in a mode of experimentation, and that could lead Raynaud to have some opportunities throughout the season.
The defensive concerns likely limit his ceiling as an elite player in the league, but his offensive skill set means he has a very high floor and will be able to contribute in meaningful ways to the Kings’ offensive attack. It will be fascinating to see how he is deployed in Sacramento and how often he shares the floor with Domantas Sabonis.
