Indiana Pacers Land This Stanford Cardinal in Mock NBA Draft

Nov 1, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA;  Details view of the Indiana Pacers logo against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Nov 1, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Details view of the Indiana Pacers logo against the New Orleans Pelicans during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers currently hold the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference, which would have them headed for the play-in tournament to get into the NBA playoffs. While there is plenty of time for the Pacers to improve their standing in the East, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently released a mock NBA Draft with teams drafting from where they are currently positioned.

While most people will focus on the first round selections, there is one player that is leading the ACC in both points and rebounds per game, and he plays for the Stanford Cardinal. He's also the player that has been mocked in this article to the Pacers in the second round of the Draft.

That player is Stanford's Maxime Raynaud, a 7-foot-1 big man that hails from France. Through 16 games, Raynaud is averaging 20.9 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. While he isn't too far ahead on the points leaderboard, his rebound average is a full board per game above second place, which is held by Clemson's Ian Schieffelin (10.2).

Raynaud can be a force in the college game, and given his size and athleticism, that should translate to the pro game as well. The Pacers are also one of the worst rebounding teams in the NBA, ranking just ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers, and right behind the Orlando Magic. Adding a big man would make sense.

This big man can also stroke it from distance, making 27 from behind the arc this season, ranking No. 8 in the ACC.

One area of his game that could stand to be improved would be drawing contact to earn free trips to the line. While he leads the way in points and points per game, and ranks No. 7 in total minutes played, he also ranks No. 13 in free throw attempts with 63. Granted, his game from the line could also stand to improve a touch, with him going 44-of-63 so far this season, good for a 69.8% rate.

Would Raynaud be an impact player right out of the gate? It's tough to tell at this moment in time. He certainly has the skillset to make an impact in the NBA, but there is always an adjustment period going from college to the NBA, and how long that adjustment takes could determine just how well he does in the near-term.

Raynaud has the chance to be a solid player in the league, and for a team like the Pacers that could use help on the glass, he should certainly be someone that they look at in the second round of the draft.

Then again, there is time for Indiana to improve their own placement in the standings, which will effect where they pick in the draft, but there will also be time for Raynaud to improve his own draft stock with conference play underway, and the Cardinal looking like they have a chance at an NCAA tournament berth for the first time in a decade.


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Jason Burke
JASON BURKE

Jason has been covering the A’s at various sites for over a decade, and was the original host of the Locked on A’s podcast. He also covers the Stanford Cardinal as they attempt to rebuild numerous programs to prominence.