Why Kings Shouldn't Wait to Get Maxime Raynaud Into the Starting Lineup

Second-round picks can be a mixed bag in the NBA, and the Sacramento Kings have often decided to trade those picks rather than roll the dice. In 2024, Jamal Shead went to the Toronto Raptors as part of a trade, in 2023 Jordan Walsh was sent to the Boston Celtics, along with many more examples prior.

After years of either missing on second-round picks or trading them for cash considerations, the Kings finally decided to keep their 2025 second-round pick and select Maxime Raynaud out of Stanford, and for once, it looks like they may have found a diamond in the rough.

Maxime Raynaud's last 3 games:

17.6 PTS, 60% FG (20/33), 60% 3PT (3/5), 5.3 REBS, 1 BLK, 25.6 MIN pic.twitter.com/cy8QgOLvBR
— Matt George (@MattGeorgeSAC) December 4, 2025

One of the first signs of the new front office for Sacramento was keeping the 42nd pick in the draft and subsequently signing Raynaud to a guaranteed deal, something that isn’t a given for most second-round picks.

The Kings were fond of Raynaud from the start of the process, bringing him in for a pre-draft workout, and Max himself even said he thought Sacramento would be a good landing spot. When asked to dive into the why by Sactown Sports 1140’s Jason Ross, Max talked about the team trusting him, and it seems that trust has paid off for Sacramento.

“They were a good fit in the sense that I think they trust me and Nique,” Raynaud said after the draft.

How It Became Impossible For Doug Christie to Keep Raynaud On the Bench

Max is still far from being a polished big, but his progression in such a short time can’t be ignored. In the first 14 games of the season, Raynaud played just over five minutes per game and had eight DNPs. Since then, Raynaud has played in every game and is averaging over 18 minutes of court time.

At the beginning of the season, Max looked like he needed more time to get used to the speed and physicality of the NBA, often getting manhandled by more experienced bigs on the glass and on defense. There are still times when he looks outmatched, but those moments are becoming far less pronounced each game.

In the last eight games, Max is averaging 10 points per game on 56/50/79 splits, and according to Cleaning the Glass, he is now one of just six Kings’ players with a positive on/off differential.

Maxime Raynaud laser connective pass

Probably his best pass of the year. Facing up at top of key in triple threat position at 7 ft.

Over top of smaller defender, which he will see in pros as he shares time w true 5s. pic.twitter.com/QF8qFdghPp
— Chucking Darts NBA & Draft Podcast (@ChuckingDarts) May 20, 2025

One of the most interesting numbers for Raynaud is that the Kings turn the ball over almost 5% less when Raynaud is on the court, which puts him in the 99th percentile in the league. That number will likely drop a bit with increased playing time, but it’s clear when watching Max that he is getting more and more comfortable with the ball in his hands.

Raynaud is already a talented passer for a big and has just three turnovers to eight assists in the last eight games once he cracked the rotation for good. The Kings are also much better offensively in general with Raynaud on the court, scoring over five points per possession more. His offensive versatility and size make him a much harder matchup for opposing teams, and while that’s a big reason why I believe he should join the starting lineup, it isn’t the only one.

Why Raynaud Is a Better Option Than Eubanks

With Sabonis out, the Kings have mostly gone to Eubanks at the five with Precious Achiuwa also getting a chance, but he’s just 6-foot-8 and was never going to be a long-term answer.

Eubanks is a fine backup, but he’s a bit undersized at just 6-foot-10, and he’s pretty much a one-trick pony offensively. Eubanks isn’t going to make or take a ton of triples; he isn’t a playmaking threat from the high post, and he also turns the ball over quite a bit when you take his low usage into account.

Out of the regular rotation players for the Kings, just Russell Westbrook has a higher turnover percentage than Eubanks. Defensively, Eubanks is good for a highlight block or two and leads the team in block percentage, but he still isn’t good enough on that end to warrant keeping him as a starter.

Kings rookie Maxime Raynaud 25 PTS (10-15 FG, 2-2 3P, 77% TS), 6 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK vs. Rockets https://t.co/YyGKtMpuTR pic.twitter.com/7qj5JGTHYC
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) December 4, 2025

One of the main knocks on Max has been his rebounding ability, which is why you may not know that he actually has a better total rebound percentage than Eubanks on the season. Even a marginal improvement there would make a difference for Sacramento, who sits at the bottom of the league in rebounding, and starting Max would accomplish just that.

Raynaud does need to improve defensively, however, his size (measured 7-foot barefoot) and mobility allow him to recover after making mistakes. He’s also shown flashes of being able to hold his own on the perimeter, something Eubanks isn’t ever going to excel at.

Offensively, Max is already showing off a lot of the versatility that landed him in the first round on many draft boards last summer, and is already more polished on that end than any other option the Kings have.

In his best game of the season against the Houston Rockets, Max scored 25 points on a 73% effective field goal percentage while scoring inside, outside, and hitting all three of his shots at the line. Not to mention, Raynaud was able to put up those numbers against Steven Adams, Alperen Sengun, and the Rockets’ second-ranked defense.

Even if Eubanks might be slightly better defensively, Raynaud has more than proven that he deserves the starting spot with everything else he brings to the team.

How It Became Impossible For Doug Christie to Keep Raynaud On the Bench

Why Raynaud Is a Better Option Than Eubanks

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