Sacramento Kings Got a Steal in Stanford's Double-Double King

Stanford basketball surprised the world last season, winning 20 plus games in its first season under new head coach Kyle Smith and looking like a program that was on a major upward trajectory after years of struggle.

In the middle of all the hype surrounding last season, Cardinal stars like Maxime Raynaud made headlines with their performances, with Raynaud evolving into one of the best players in the country in his final college season, averaging a double-double with Stanford.

Well as it turns out, Raynaud is more than just a college basketball great. He is also looking like a future NBA star, putting together a dominant rookie season for the Sacramento Kings this year. Over the last ten games, Raynaud has continued to play elite basketball, achieving milestones that have not been reached by an NBA rookie in nearly a decade.

Averaging 15.6 points and 10.6 rebounds while shooting 61% over the last ten games, Raynaud is the first NBA rookie in over seven years to put up those numbers, joining former No. 1 overall pick DeAndre Ayton.

A second round draft pick, Raynaud was originally expected to be a project player for the Kings this season, but injuries to several key stars such as Domantas Sabonis have forced them to utilize Raynaud in a big role, which has paid off despite the Kings owning the NBA's worst record at 14-49.

Despite being a late draft pick, Raynaud's performance this season has put him firmly in the Rookie of the Year conversation, even with rookies Kon Knueppel and Cooper Flagg playing exceptional basketball as well. Averaging 10.7 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists on the season, Raynaud has become the type of player that the Kings could build around for the future.

A first-team All-ACC selection last season, Raynaud built off of a very impressive junior season at Stanford, finishing with an average of 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists and going toe-to-toe with Flagg on being the best player in the nation.

Entering the transfer portal after his junior year, Smith was able to re-recruit Raynaud back to Stanford, and in turn, he was the star of the team and helped guide them to the second round of the NIT.

Entering the draft process, Raynaud had first round pick talent and was considered a consensus first round pick—especially after the combine—where he put up the best numbers in the 5-on-5 portion of the event.

But due to various factors, mainly his older age for a rookie, he slipped down to the second round. However, Raynaud is now a major draft steal and is proving why the Kings were smart to invest in him.

The NBA regular season is approaching the final stretch, and while the Kings are merely playing for a good draft pick at this point, they can go into the offseason much more confident knowing that they have a young star like Raynaud that they can rely on for the future.

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