Stanford MBB Head Coach Kyle Smith on Raynaud in Sacramento

Smith said that when he took the Stanford gig last year, he looked at Raynaud and saw similarities to another player he'd coached at Washington State, Mouhamed Gueye. who is in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks.

"I said 'you know what? We've kind of got a blueprint for this.' I think we can really develop him by just throwing him the ball a lot. It worked out well."

The strategy did indeed work out well, as Raynaud entered his senior season as a potential NBA draft pick, though that was far from assured. By the time the season had wrapped up and he'd wowed at the NBA Combine, he was being projected as a late first round talent. So much so that when he wasn't selected by the Boston Celtics at No. 32 and began to drop in the Draft, he became a steal for whichever club picked him.

That ended up being the Sacramento Kings ten picks later.

Smith also pushed back a little on the biggest knock on him from scouts, that his foot speed is too slow, saying, "he can really move. I think there were some people that were a little discouraged and had questions about some of his defense. He's a really fluid athlete, led the country in double-doubles. He's a 7-1 guy, but he's well proportioned and looks like a 6-4 guy, and he can play like it."

Coach Smith also spoke with SacTown Sports 1140, and talked a little bit about the ceiling Raynaud has, in his eyes. "I think he's a potential starter. Not necessarily first year...but if he makes it to where I think he can be, I think he's a great fourth or fifth option, floor spacer out there all the time."

As for what's to come in his rookie year, "I think he can be a stretch-five as a rookie." He also believes that Raynaud would be able to share the floor well with Kings star Domantas Sabonis, though they may want to tuck the former Stanford big man in the corner and let Sabonis do the wheeling and dealing.

For those worried about the lack of blocked shots for the big-man, Smith also revealed that Raynaud was not allowed to block shots at Stanford because the program needed him on the floor. Contesting shots would likely lead to more fouls, and Raynaud was the star of the Cardinal team. They couldn't afford to have him sitting.

Arguably the most important factor for Kings fans, is that his former coach believes he'll buy in to lighting the beam. There is plenty to be excited about for the fans in Sacramento.