Raynaud Set to Make Summer League Debut Against Dybantsa, Wizards

The Sacramento Kings are getting reinforcements as they prepare to take on AJ Dybantsa and the Washington Wizards, as Maxime Raynaud will be making his Summer League debut, as the entire Kings roster is set to suit up for the game.

Per the Kings, all their players will be available for tonight’s LVSL game against Washington.
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) July 12, 2026

The All-Rookie center is coming off an impressive campaign where he averaged 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists on 57.1% shooting from the field and 32.4% from three. After looking like he would take some time to get acclimated to the NBA, the 42nd overall pick from last year's draft surprised everyone with a rapid acceleration of development, and the Kings are hoping that trend continues tonight.

The Kings will have to get creative with their rotations, even in the Summer League. Dylan Cardwell, a fellow sophomore center, has impressed so far in the Kings' first four games as well. It will be telling who starts the game for the Kings, as the center rotation is one of the biggest questions going into the season for Sacramento as well.

Getting Raynaud and Cardwell on the floor together during Summer League gives Sacramento a great chance to see if the two bigs can share the floor together. It helps that Raynaud is such a skilled player and that Cardwell excels on defense. It has potential to work, especially if Raynaud can step out and hit the three at a high clip.

At the end of last season, Raynaud started to shoot more from beyond the arc. It's sure to be something that he worked on during the offseason, and even if he can get to around 35% or so, that should be enough to keep defenses honest to step out and guard him.

Adding in Domantas Sabonis during the regular season will add a whole other wrinkle, but the exhibition season is the perfect time to experiment with lineups. The other key factor in the center rotation will be Raynaud's ability to defend on the perimeter, which could be put to the test tonight against the number one draft pick, AJ Dybantsa.

Slowing Down Dybantsa

Feb 28, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; BYU Cougars forward AJ Dybantsa (3) shoots a three pointer over West Virginia Mountaineers guard Chance Moore (13) during the second half at Hope Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dybantsa is coming off an impressive debut where he led the Wizards to a win over the number two pick, Darryn Peterson, and the Utah Jazz. He had 27 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block.

If the Kings are on a quest to capture their third Summer League title, a win tonight will be crucial. Not only will it be fun to watch Raynaud make his debut, but seeing Darius Acuff Jr. face the number one pick is sure to put the game in the spotlight as well.

The trend of Summer League has been to shut down players as the games go on, wo tonight could be one of the few nights that we see the full roster for Sacramento on the court together. Here's to hoping that they make the most of it and continue their winning streak and quest for the Summer League title.

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