Starting in the paint against Dallas on the night of Saturday to Sunday (113-107 victory), Maxime Raynaud was once again a strong asset for Sacramento. The tricolor pivot, selected in 42nd position, is making a name for himself.
Slowly but surely, Maxime Raynaud is making a success of his first season in the NBA with the Sacramento Kings. In California, the 22-year-old Frenchman is posting good or even very good performances at the moment after two rather discreet first months. It must also be said that the franchise is not intended to win the title this year. But no matter, it is in this context that the pivot (2.16 m, 113 kg) is currently growing brilliantly.
Maxime Raynaud took advantage of the injury of regular starter Domantas Sabonis to find a place in Doug Christie’s starting five for a few games. Above all, the former student of Henri IV has come into the spotlight since the Kings signed Russell Westbrook. Together, the two men form a formidable duo, like the last performance of the Californians, on the night of Saturday to Sunday against Dallas (113-107), with 19 and 21 points respectively.
A draft far from expectations
U20 European champion with the French team and a certain Victor Wembanyama, Maxime Raynaud first had the heyday of Stanford in the NCAA (20 points, 10 rebounds on average during his last season) during his university years. The Frenchman, wanting to become an astrophysicist at NASA, ultimately turned to another field since he graduated in mathematics specializing in artificial intelligence.
Gifted on the school benches as well as on the floors, the former Charenton and Nanterre player was however only selected in 42nd position in the last NBA draft. Since then, the pivot has defied the predictions with a best career performance in the NBA recorded on December 19 (29 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 interceptions). Not sure that the Parisian by birth will win the title of best rookie of the year, the reward promised to Cooper Flagg (No. 1 in the last draft), but alongside the experienced Westbrook, Schroder, DeRozan and Sabonis, the Frenchman has everything to succeed.
