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Clippers' Nic Batum Has Strong Praise for Kings Rookie Max Raynaud

The Sacramento Kings' rookie received some kind words from the L.A. Clippers' French veteran.
Eric Sperlazza|
Mar 14, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) talks with guard Nique Clifford (5) during the second quarter at Intuit Dome.
Mar 14, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) talks with guard Nique Clifford (5) during the second quarter at Intuit Dome. | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

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Sacramento Kings

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Max Raynaud has been an absolute steal for the Sacramento Kings. Drafted with the 42nd pick in the 2025 draft after a very productive year for Stanford, Raynaud was seen as someone who may not have the athleticism to compete in the NBA. 

With Domantas Sabonis in and out of the lineup, Raynaud asserted himself and became the full-time starter once it was announced that Sabonis was done for the year. Raynaud may have surprised a lot of folks, but his fellow countryman, Nicolas Batum, said he expected him to be drafted much higher while on The Old Man and the Three podcast.

“I talked to him a little bit and I’ve known him for a while … I was surprised he fell to the second round, honestly, I thought he was a lock for the top-20. Yeah, I was shocked he went mid-second round. But he ended up in a good situation for him right now. He got a chance to play. He’s got good vets around him," Batum said.

Should We Have Been Surprised?

Raynaud was a four-year college player, which is partially why he was overlooked coming into the draft. Still, the production against solid competition should have been enough to push Max into the first round. Raynaud averaged 20 points, 10 boards, 1.4 blocks, and shot close to 35% from three as a 7-foot-1 center. Funny enough, one of the big worries with him came in the form of his rebounding, despite being the ACC’s rebounding leader in his senior year. 

Batum credits Raynaud's four-year college career for part of his early NBA success, saying it's "rare now in this league," but it has helped him out.

Another piece of Raynaud’s game that was underrated was his touch around the rim at his size. His ability to stretch the floor gave some indication that he had a soft touch for a big man, but I don’t think he had the opportunity to show as much of it because he was playing with the ball so much more in college. Along with the touch, Raynaud flashed a ton of potential as a passer at Stanford and has started to show more of that in the last half of the season.

Heir Apparent

The similarities between Raynaud and Sabonis can’t be ignored either, though Raynaud still has a ways to go to reach Domas’ level of playmaking. Much has been said about how Russell Westbrook has helped Raynaud’s development, but it’s hard to gloss over the fact that he is learning from a former All-NBA center. If you graded his passing solely on his assist numbers, you likely wouldn’t be too impressed, but the film tells a different story.

Raynaud’s ability to catch the ball on a short roll and make a quick decision has really popped recently, and that’s huge for his chances of fitting next to another big, should the Kings go that direction. He’s even flashed some potential of the dribble handoff game that made Sabonis and Fox so effective together.

More than anything, Raynaud’s intelligence shines through in all parts of his game. Batum was another player who just knew how to find ways to impact a game, and he mentioned Raynaud’s IQ as a plus for him as well. 

“He’s a very smart dude. He’s got skills, he understands his role, he understands the moments," Batum said.

There was a lot of talk about trading Sabonis over the deadline, but nothing came to fruition, and now the Kings need to decide on their path forward at the center position. On one hand, Sabonis isn’t far removed from being an All-Star and one of the better centers in the league, and on the other hand, he’s making nearly $46 million next year. 

Moving on from Sabonis might be in the Kings’ best interest, but is Raynaud ready to start the year as the full-time starter? Even though he still has a lot to work on, there’s a solid argument that the Kings’ ceiling may end up higher with Raynaud.

An Easier Piece to Fit Into the Puzzle

It’s a known fact that Sabonis isn’t a great rim protector, and most of that isn’t due to lack of effort. Sabonis is giving up a few inches to a lot of bigs in the league, but the major issue might be the combination of his short wingspan and lack of lift. There are plenty of solid rim protectors that aren’t great athletes, but they are usually big enough to make up for their lack of explosiveness. With Raynaud, he may not be the biggest leaper, but his 9-foot-2 standing reach makes a huge difference

This isn’t to say that Raynaud is a good rim protector; in fact, he’s still pretty mediocre there. The difference is that he is big enough to improve on that end without suddenly adding inches to his vert, while Sabonis’s relatively short wingspan likely doomed any chances of him being a plus rim protector. 

While all the things that Batum mentioned about Raynaud are huge pieces of why he might be the long-term answer at center in Sacramento, his size might be the reason why the Kings decide to turn the keys over to him next season.

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Eric Sperlazza
ERIC SPERLAZZA

Eric Sperlazza covers the NBA and Sacramento Kings for Sacramento Kings On SI.

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