“All the NBA guys that called me on him, I was like, ‘This is kind of a no-brainer. He’s a 7’1 athlete that’s skilled, and he’s Stanford smart. Bet on this guy.”
Stanford men’s basketball head coach Kyle Smith gushed about Sacramento’s recent second-round pick, Maxime Raynaud.
“He’s just going to add,” Smith told Sactown Sports. “He’s a total add to your culture, to your team. On the court, off the court. (He’s) pretty unique.”
A 7’1 player with skill to shoot and dribble the ball effectively is intriguing on its own. Factor in his reportedly impressive work ethic, discipline, and intelligence, and you’ll see why Coach Smith told NBA teams he’s a worthy bet.
While coaching at Washington State (with Isaac Jones), Smith said he became aware of Raynaud’s French film and immediately began trying to recruit him.
“Watching him progress, I always thought he had a chance to be an NBA player,” he said.
But Raynaud quickly committed to Stanford, where Smith eventually joined during the skilled seven-footers’ senior campaign.
Majoring in computer science with a minor in mathematics, education was a fundamental factor in his collegiate decision, having come from France.
“He would have come [to Stanford] if he wasn’t an athlete,” Smith continued. “He belongs here.”
“If you wanted to do both, academics and basketball, [Stanford] was an amazing place to do so,” Raynaud told Sactown Sports.
With that commitment comes an intelligence that the 22-year-old calls “a mechanical approach” to basketball.
New Sacramento general manager Scott Perry has tirelessly referenced building an identity centered around players who are competitive, tough, team-oriented, disciplined, accountable, and professional. Raynaud seems to check most, if not all, those boxes.
And he communicates that information quickly and effectively to his teammates — an especially important skill for a backline defender.
Finding joy in calling out opposing play calls, his voice echoed through the Summer League gyms.
Being on the bench hasn’t stopped Maxime Raynaud from being a vocal for his teammates.
Especially on the defensive end. pic.twitter.com/nLyXeqfM6n
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) July 15, 2025
“Very rarely do you get a 7’1 guy that’s going to be your captain, and he was clearly the leader of the team, clearly very vocal, big charisma too. That’s why I was frustrated, these guys that passed on him, I told you all this. And the Kings are like, ‘Woah!’ Yeah, he’s that guy.”
Stanford MBB Head Coach Kyle Smith
Aside from the intangibles, Raynaud’s on-court skills add to the potential.
Stanford’s leading scorer last season, he averaged 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds on 46.7 percent shooting. And he shot 34.7 percent from three on 5.5 attempts per game as a seven-footer.
“I always said he’s closer to Lauri Markkanen than Luke Kornet,” Coach Smith told Sactown Sports. “More like a (Kelly) Olynyk. I think he moves his feet better than Olynyk, but something like Olynyk. Skillful, big, they can play inside and out.”
Spacing the floor, while also being comfortable putting the ball on the deck, there’s intriguing positional versatility.
Smith believes Raynaud may be better suited as a forward, capable of playing alongside Domantas Sabonis.
“He’s better as a face-up four, to be honest,” he said. “Stretching the corner, pick and pops, all that stuff’s good.”
Of course, with that comes the need to defend opposing forwards. While plenty of work needs to be done in that aspect, Smith is optimistic about his potential.
As Stanford’s primary scoring option, Raynaud was instructed to avoid foul trouble, which limited his defensive impact.
Not expected to bear that offensive responsibility with Sacramento, the 22-year-old can devote more focus, film work, study, and effort to that end.
Speaking highly of his foot speed, Smith believes the big man has the potential to stay in front of some forwards while adjusting to the strength, size, and physicality of NBA centers.
“His ability to move his feet, he can really move… I’m not concerned about his perimeter defense, I think he’s going to be really good. And then he’s still got to get stronger to battle with some of the physicality of the low post guys. So, I think he’s more comfortable as he moves forward.”
“The two most important things he has for being a good defender is he’s got really good feet and he’s got a good brain. When he’s talking and calling out coverages, he has a good sense where everyone is. His floor position, as we call it, is really good. And, like I’ve said, he was not allowed to try to block shots with us last year because we did not want to waste any fouls. And now that he understands he’s in a different role, the physicality and giving up your body and rotating over, taking some charges, and/or blocking shots, he’ll be able to do that. And I think it’ll eventually kick in more yet. “
Having an up-and-down experience in the NBA 2K26 Las Vegas Summer League, Raynaud may need some time to adjust to the NBA game. However, it’s easy to see how the French product aligns with Perry’s desired identity while providing intriguing on-court skills.
“He makes every day a joy, he really does. He does not have many bad days. He’s rarely in a bad mood, and I love it,” Coach Smith said. “He’s got a playfulness about him. He thought he was really sneaky how they went on this skydiving trip, and I had no idea. He’s got just a certain joy. He lives life to the fullest.”
Kings’ rookie Maxime Raynaud (@MaximeRaynaud) shared a story about Stanford’s unforgettable MBB skydiving trip.
Coach Smith didn’t know until they accidentally slipped up at media day. 😂
Cross that one off the bucket list. pic.twitter.com/TsPvgnkXnx
— Sactown Sports 1140 (@Sactown1140) July 12, 2025
“I tell everyone, his best characteristic is that he gets more joy out of other people’s success, and he really does.”
Of course, Smith is going to promote the Stanford product, but plenty of reporters, staffers, and players in Vegas spoke highly of Raynaud’s versatile skill set and personality.
If his coach ends up being right, Scott Perry and Sacramento will be glad to have bet on this guy.
More Sacramento Kings coverage on Sactown Sports
Despite falling short of earning their third Las Vegas Summer League title, the Sacramento Kings had plenty of encouraging moments from two weeks in Sin City.
From establishing Scott Perry’s ideal identity as the first to start, rookie debuts, to the growth of returning players.
Keep in mind, Summer League is far from a direct indicator of success at the NBA level. If anything, most believe that poor performances in the tourney hold more weight than successful.
But, let’s start with the positives. Here were three encouraging takeaways from Sacramento’s nearly perfect 2K26 Las Vegas Summer League:
3 Encouraging Takeaways from Sacramento’s 2K26 Summer League
Upcoming offseason schedule for the Sacramento Kings:
August TBD – Release of 2025-26 regular season schedule
September TBD – Start of NBA training camps for the 2025-26 season
Wednesday, October 8th – Friday, October 17th – Saramento’s 2025-26 Preseason
Thank you for reading SactownSports.com. Follow us on Twitter and Google News, and subscribe to our YouTube channel.
