{"id":688361,"date":"2026-03-30T17:35:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-30T17:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/688361\/"},"modified":"2026-03-30T17:35:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T17:35:15","slug":"clippers-nic-batum-has-strong-praise-for-kings-rookie-max-raynaud","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/688361\/","title":{"rendered":"Clippers’ Nic Batum Has Strong Praise for Kings Rookie Max Raynaud"},"content":{"rendered":"

Stop me if you\u2019ve heard this before, but Max Raynaud has been an absolute steal<\/a> for the Sacramento Kings. Drafted with the 42nd pick in the 2025 draft after a very productive year for Stanford, Raynaud was seen as someone who may not have the athleticism to compete in the NBA.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With Domantas Sabonis in and out of the lineup, Raynaud asserted himself and became the full-time starter once it was announced that Sabonis was done for the year. Raynaud may have surprised a lot of folks, but his fellow countryman, Nicolas Batum, said he expected him to be drafted much higher while on The Old Man and the Three<\/a> podcast.<\/p>\n

\u201cI talked to him a little bit and I\u2019ve known him for a while \u2026 I was surprised he fell to the second round, honestly, I thought he was a lock for the top-20. Yeah, I was shocked he went mid-second round. But he ended up in a good situation for him right now. He got a chance to play. He\u2019s got good vets around him,” Batum said.<\/p>\n

Should We Have Been Surprised?<\/p>\n

Raynaud was a four-year college player, which is partially why he was overlooked coming into the draft. Still, the production against solid competition should have been enough to push Max into the first round. Raynaud averaged 20 points, 10 boards, 1.4 blocks, and shot close to 35% from three as a 7-foot-1 center. Funny enough, one of the big worries with him came in the form of his rebounding, despite being the ACC\u2019s rebounding leader in his senior year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Sacramento Kings have selected Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud with the No. 42 pick.<\/p>\n

Fits a coveted mold at 7’1 with impressive shooting ability, which gives him a quicker path to a NBA role than some players who will be drafted before him. pic.twitter.com\/rpQffTgGfV<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Batum credits Raynaud’s four-year college career for part of his early NBA success, saying it’s “rare now in this league,” but it has helped him out.<\/p>\n

Another piece of Raynaud\u2019s game that was underrated was his touch around the rim at his size. His ability to stretch the floor gave some indication that he had a soft touch for a big man, but I don\u2019t think he had the opportunity to show as much of it because he was playing with the ball so much more in college. Along with the touch, Raynaud flashed a ton of potential as a passer at Stanford and has started to show more of that in the last half of the season.<\/p>\n

Heir Apparent<\/p>\n

The similarities between Raynaud and Sabonis can\u2019t be ignored either, though Raynaud still has a ways to go to reach Domas\u2019 level of playmaking. Much has been said about how Russell Westbrook has helped Raynaud\u2019s development, but it\u2019s hard to gloss over the fact that he is learning from a former All-NBA center. If you graded his passing solely on his assist numbers, you likely wouldn\u2019t be too impressed, but the film tells a different story.<\/p>\n

“The beam is about to be lit.”<\/p>\n

Max Raynaud discusses the win over the Nets in style \ud83d\ude0e pic.twitter.com\/uXfIfyAMyI<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Kings on NBCS (@NBCSKings) March 23, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Raynaud\u2019s ability to catch the ball on a short roll and make a quick decision has really popped recently, and that\u2019s huge for his chances of fitting next to another big, should the Kings go that direction. He\u2019s even flashed some potential of the dribble handoff game that made Sabonis and Fox so effective together. <\/p>\n

More than anything, Raynaud\u2019s intelligence shines through in all parts of his game. Batum was another player who just knew how to find ways to impact a game, and he mentioned Raynaud\u2019s IQ as a plus for him as well.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a very smart dude. He\u2019s got skills, he understands his role, he understands the moments,” Batum said.<\/p>\n

There was a lot of talk about trading Sabonis over the deadline, but nothing came to fruition, and now the Kings need to decide on their path forward at the center position. On one hand, Sabonis isn\u2019t far removed from being an All-Star and one of the better centers in the league, and on the other hand, he\u2019s making nearly $46 million next year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moving on from Sabonis might be in the Kings\u2019 best interest, but is Raynaud ready to start the year as the full-time starter<\/a>? Even though he still has a lot to work on, there\u2019s a solid argument that the Kings\u2019 ceiling may end up higher with Raynaud.<\/p>\n

Maxime Raynaud bat son career-high lors de son duel face \u00e0 Wemby \ud83c\uddeb\ud83c\uddf7\ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udd3932 points
\ud83d\udd3913\/25 FG \/ 2\/5 3-PTS \/ 4\/4 FT
\ud83d\udd399 rebonds
\ud83d\udd393 passes
\ud83d\udd391 contre<\/p>\n

Un beau symbole avant de les voir r\u00e9unis un jour dans la raquette des Bleus \ud83d\ude4c pic.twitter.com\/soRKtwurVN<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Beno\u00eet TrashTalk (@We_Want_Tacos) March 18, 2026<\/a>An Easier Piece to Fit Into the Puzzle<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a known fact that Sabonis isn\u2019t a great rim protector, and most of that isn\u2019t due to lack of effort. Sabonis is giving up a few inches to a lot of bigs in the league, but the major issue might be the combination of his short wingspan and lack of lift. There are plenty of solid rim protectors that aren\u2019t great athletes, but they are usually big enough to make up for their lack of explosiveness. With Raynaud, he may not be the biggest leaper, but his 9-foot-2 standing reach makes a huge difference<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t to say that Raynaud is a good rim protector; in fact, he\u2019s still pretty mediocre there. The difference is that he is big enough to improve on that end without suddenly adding inches to his vert, while Sabonis\u2019s relatively short wingspan likely doomed any chances of him being a plus rim protector.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While all the things that Batum mentioned about Raynaud are huge pieces of why he might be the long-term answer at center in Sacramento, his size might be the reason why the Kings decide to turn the keys over to him next season. <\/p>\n