Kings Standout Rookie Goes Down Late, Leaves Game Vs. Suns

The Sacramento Kings received more bad news late against the Phoenix Suns.

Jan 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) posts up against Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams (15) during the second half at Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The bad news continued on Friday night against the Phoenix Suns. It's not just that they lost big yet again, 129-102, but the injury bug struck once again as the game was coming to a close.

With just under four and a half minutes left in the game, Raynaud went down after setting a screen for teammate Russell Westbrook. It didn't look terrible at first, but Westbrook's foot clipped Raynaud's, and his knees turned as a result.

Maxime Raynaud was helped off the court after appearing to injure his knee on this play pic.twitter.com/iQvaJFExCJ

— Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) January 3, 2026

There's no update yet on what the injury is for the rookie big, but after a season of early injuries derailed the Kings season, it's adding salt to the wound. Even more so that it's Raynaud, who's one of the lone bright spots for Sacramento this season.

He was having a quiet night against Phoenix, with six points, five rebounds, and two assists, but so far this season, the second-round pick came into the night averaging 10.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.0 assists on 54.7% shooting from the field and 33.3% from three. He's improved drastically throughout the season and been the biggest surprise and bright spot in a disappointing season for Sacramento.

In the beginning of the year, it looked like he may need a season or two to get his legs under him, but he's already shown how coachable he is with his improvement through the first 35 games of the season. Raynaud was even getting recognition around the league, as he just appeared in the rookie top 10 list.

Unfortunate Timing for Raynaud, Kings

Dec 27, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) shoots the ball against Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell (7) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The timing couldn't be worse for Raynaud and the Kings. Domantas Sabonis continues to recover from his injury, leaving the bulk of minutes for the rookie center to gain valuable NBA experience. And he's done exactly that since getting his shot in the starting lineup.

When Sabonis comes back from injury, he'll have to be put back in the starting spot, which will likely limit Raynaud's minutes as he heads back to the bench. It's always possible that the two bigs start together or Sabonis gets traded, but these were crucial minutes for Raynaud to be able to play through his mistakes with wins not mattering.

Where do the Kings Go Next

The Kings will have to turn to Drew Eubanks and fellow rookie Dylan Cardwell as the injuries pile up at the center spot. Cardwell is on a two-way contract and is limited to just 50 games for the Kings, but he has the most to gain out of the opportunity and could work his way towards a full NBA contract like we've seen with Keon Ellis and Isaac Jones over the last few seasons.

Precious Achiuwa will also likely get some minutes at the center spot when the Kings go small. It's a role he's filled already this season with success for the Kings, but it's a move that works better in spurts than long stretches at a time.