SACRAMENTO – Not taking himself too seriously after having two big games early in his first NBA season might have been the smartest move made by Kings center Maxime Raynaud.

After hitting the Utah Jazz for a then-season high of 19 points on Nov. 28, the 23-year-old Frenchman came back five days later and lit up the Houston Rockets for 25 points on Dec. 3.

Rather than puff his chest out and gloat, Raynaud knew better and simply stayed on the grind.

“At no point I ever was, ‘OK, I’m there. I’ve arrived,’ ” Raynaud told reporters at Golden 1 Center Monday, one day after the Kings’ season ended with a 122-110 thud of a loss in Portland. “I want to be like, ‘I can’t just rest and (be) like this is good enough.’ Once you start to settle a little bit, that’s when it comes back and kind of bites you in the butt.”

With that attitude, it was no surprise to see Raynaud’s rapid and stellar development. 

The No. 42 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, the 7-foot-1 Raynaud was one of the NBA’s most productive rookies.

He had 18 double-doubles, tops amongst all rookies, 45 games when he reached double figures in scoring, and scored 30 or more in back-to-back games, only the fourth rookie in franchise history to accomplish that feat.

With apologies to Charlotte Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel and Dallas Mavericks star Cooper Flagg, it’s a plausible argument that neither of those two had the type of impact on their respective teams that Raynaud did with the Kings.

“He’s been able to take his opportunity and kind of fulfill it, just being a focal point of other teams’ game plan,” Kings forward Keegan Murray said. “He had a lot of success with that. There’s a lot of opportunity for him to grow as a player, especially with his frame, his strength.”

Maybe the best part of Raynaud’s season is that it came while the Kings’ other big man, Domantas Sabonis, was on the bench recovering from a left knee injury.

Sabonis underwent successful surgery but kept a close eye on his younger teammate while rehabbing. The two only played a handful of minutes together during the regular season, but that was enough for Sabonis to form a glowing opinion.

“He’s been great, his aggressiveness, learning how to play in different situations,” Sabonis said. “At first he was getting a lot of pick-and-rolls with Russ (Westbrook) and then you see him on the 3-point line, shooting, pump-faking, driving, making plays. 

“That’s the growth you want to see. He’s proved that he can be an impact in all different areas on the court.”

Download and follow The Deuce & Mo Podcast