Kings Rookie's Great Shooting Splits Point to Star-Level Scoring Upside

The Sacramento Kings' season may be in disarray, but one of the few positive takeaways has been the strong play of second-round pick Maxime Raynaud. There was a lot of buzz about the French big man coming into the season, with him appearing like a potential steal in the bottom half of the draft.

But he got off to a slow start in preseason in the first few games of the year, and it looked like he would need a year or two to get his NBA legs under him. But instead, Raynaud has taken a huge leap already in his rookie season and is playing himself into the All-Rookie team discussion.

On the season, he's averaging 10.3 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.1 assists on 55.2% shooting from the field and 25.0% from three. What first stands out is his rebounding, which was a big reason he fell to the Kings at #42 in the draft. He wasn't a highly physical player on the boards at Stanford, but he's slowly improved throughout the season and already looks like a better rebounder through just 53 career games in the NBA.

Impressive Efficiency

The other thing that jumps off the statsheet is Raynaud's impressive efficiency. He may not be taking or making many threes, shooting 25% from deep on 0.8 attempts per game, but he has a great 55.2% field goal percentage. According to Basketball Reference, that's the 14th-best FG% in the entire NBA of all qualified players.

Young bigs generally take some time to find their NBA footing, but Raynaud has looked polished on offense for someone in his first season. Throw in the fact that he's going up against other number one centers, and some of the best players in the league, and it's even more impressive. He isn't putting up these numbers against other backup bigs, but the top centers in the league with his starting role.

Doing it Everywhere

Feb 23, 2026; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) shoots as Memphis Grizzlies forward Taylor Hendricks (22) defends during the first quarter at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Raynaud's three-point shot may not be there this year, but a deeper look at his shooting splits shows his high offensive potential that had many viewing him as a first-round draft pick. He doesn't have that 55.2% FG% on accident, as he's making shots all over the court inside the arc.

Restricted Area: 90-of-125 (72%)

Floater Area: 118-of-223 (52.9%)

Mid-Range: 13-of-28 (46.4%)

Again, those are great numbers for any NBA player, let alone a second-round draft pick. He's not overly reliant on any one specific area and is making shots in all three zones inside. That's a small sample size for mid-range field goals, but it's also a number that should go up as he gets more comfortable shooting from the perimeter, and it is a good indicator that the three-point shot should follow along at some point as well.

Raynaud's touch around the rim is what's really impressive. He already has a great floater game, something the Kings go to often, as indicated by his team-high 223 attempts in the area. And his touch at the rim, just like his rebounding, has already improved drastically this season.

This is what so many were excited about when Raynaud was drafted. Even as one of the best parts of this season for the Kings, it feels like we are still not giving Raynaud the credit he deserves for what he is doing on the court.

There's no guarantee that Raynaud will turn into a star, but he's shown that potential throughout the year, even if he isn't jumping off the page or stealing headlines around the league. You just have to know where to look in the numbers to find them.