Maxime Raynaud Reveals What Went Wrong for Kings vs. Suns

The Sacramento Kings have not seen much success this season, winning just 14 of their first 63 games, but there are a few moral victories in there. The most glaring bright spot has been rookie big man Maxime Raynaud.

Despite an 11-point home loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night, Raynaud was incredible with 22 points, ten rebounds, and four assists on near-perfect 10-12 shooting from the field. Not only has Raynaud continued to improve on the court throughout his rookie season, but he is taking on more responsibility off of it.

After Tuesday's game, Raynaud was quick to admit what went wrong for the Kings in their loss to the Suns.

"Turnovers and second-chance points," Raynaud said. "I think they had 18 offensive rebounds. I don't remember how many second-chance points they got because of that, but quite a lot, so I think that's the game right there."

The Kings' glaring weaknesses

Turnovers have been a common issue for the Kings, and rebounding is not much different. In Tuesday's loss, the Kings allowed 31 points off turnovers and 32 fast-break points. With 18 offensive rebounds, the Suns also scored 27 second-chance points. In an 11-point loss, that is the biggest difference that destroys the Kings.

Giving up points off turnovers and second-chance points is not only the easiest way to lose a game, but it is the quickest. The Kings are consistently destroyed by giving up big runs, and that was no different on Tuesday night. For example, the Kings held an eight-point lead after the first quarter. Then, the Suns opened the second quarter on a 19-2 run.

"JALEN GREEN CAN ABSOLUTELY FLY." 🤯

Suns surge ahead with a 19-2 run on NBC & Peacock! pic.twitter.com/wLnuDZdIew
— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2026

Raynaud tried to explain how the Kings can try to stop those big runs from happening.

"Obviously, I feel like when you take a timeout, the goal is kind of to reset and refocus on two or three areas that are going wrong for us," Raynaud said. "... I do feel like once you are in the game and you're in the fire of the action, the first thing that can go through your mind is, 'Okay, let's get a quick one and stop the bleeding,' but sometimes having that mentality may cause us some turnovers or poor decision making."

Like most fans, the Kings are likely ready to get into the 2026 offseason and fix their glaring weaknesses. Whether it comes through the draft, trades, or free agency, the Kings have plenty of problems they need to fix. With 19 games left, the Kings can at least use this time to continue to evaluate their young guys, like Raynaud, to see how they can maximize their talent moving forward.