Sacramento Kings select Maxime Raynaud in 2025 NBA Draft

Stanford C Maxime Raynaud fully developed over a four-year collegiate career with the Cardinal. Now, one of the more productive bigs in the sport by last season in college is off the board in the NBA Draft.

The Sacramento Kings have selected Raynaud in the 2025 NBA Draft. They did so with their No. 42 overall pick.

Raynaud appeared in 129 games, 94 of those being starts, for Stanford, averaging 12.6 points (51.5% FG, 34.7% 3PT), 7.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game. That finished him in the Top-10 in program history in scoring, rebounding, field goals, and games played.

As an upperclassman, though, Raynaud went to another level, posting 17.9 points (51.7% FG, 35.4% 3PT), 10.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.1 blocks. He would, in the first of those seasons as a junior, be Second Team All Pac-12 and Pac-12 Most Improved Player. Then, as a senior putting up a career-best stat line of 20.2 points (46.7% FG, 34.7% 3PT on 1.9 makes), 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.4 blocks, Raynaud, tied for the tenth leading scorer in the country, made the All-ACC First Team while being a finalist for the Kareem Abdul Jabbar Award and an honorable mention as an AP All-American.

Raynaud, out of Paris, France, attended high school at Lycee Henri IV. He’d play internationally for Espoirs Nanterre while also representing his country at the 2023 FIBA U-20 and the 2019 FIBA U16 European Championships.

What NBA Draft experts are saying about Maxime Raynaud

On3’s James Fletcher is high on Raynaud, even naming him as a player who could have an immediate impact in the NBA. That’s with him having the size and scoring ability to contribute as backup big off of someone’s bench.

“Maxime Raynaud has one of the most impressive stories in the NBA Draft, going from walk-on to late-rising prospect at center,” Fletcher wrote in May following the NBA Draft Combine. “He has shown an ability to produce offensively for years and Stanford, providing an interesting backup big option for NBA teams. A strong pre-draft process has further led to excitement about his ability to jump levels.”

RotoWire.com was also sold on the offensive upside in their draft profile for Raynaud, comparing him to Frank Kaminsky (Wisconsin), Kelly Olynyk (Gonzaga), Zach Collins (Gonzaga), and Kyle Filipowski (Duke). That said, with development left for him to do, including defensively, they’re looking to see him land with a specific franchise if he’s to have early returns in the association.

“Raynaud is incredibly skilled for his size, showcasing the ability to post up, face up, shoot and attack poor closeouts. He can finish with both hands and uses his footwork to navigate traffic in the paint. Raynaud loves to operate as an offensive hub, finding backdoor cutters or shooters in the corners when too many defensive eyes are on him, but his assist numbers weren’t prolific in college. He isn’t a natural playmaker but is willing to find the open guy, often with a dramatic flair. Raynaud’s intensity on the court was also notable, but it’ll be interesting to see if that continues when he doesn’t have the ball as much as a pro. The big man was productive defensively at Stanford, but his ability to guard the perimeter will have to improve at the next level, especially since his offensive profile suggests he’ll have to play more forward than center in the NBA.”

“There’s certainly a blueprint for a player of Raynaud’s skill and size to make it in the NBA, but he’s far from a polished prospect and would likely need to land in an ideal fit to earn consistent playing time.”