Stanford's Maxime Raynaud Falls to Second Round

Through surprises, reaches, and shocks, the first round of the NBA Draft was nothing short of special. But while others cried tears of joy and partied while achieving their dreams, one man of particular interest to the Stanford faithful was left in the cold.

That would be seven-footer Maxime Raynaud.

After picking up basketball in his senior year of high school, he was a walk-on at Stanford and began his college career as a reserve, before working his way into a starting spot in his sophomore season. He made vast improvements to his game over his four years with the Cardinal, and after his junior year, he earned Second-Team All-Pac-12 and Pac-12 Most Improved Player honors.

He entered the transfer portal when head coach Jerod Hasse was fired after that junior campaign, but new head coach Kyle Smith convinced him to stick around, and as a senior he averaged a double-double (20 points, 10.5 rebounds) in the program's first year in the ACC. He has worked his way from a walk-on to what many viewed as a first-round talent heading into the NBA Draft.

He now enters the second round as ESPN's best available player in the Draft.

After a storied college career filled with courage, perseverance, and success, Raynaud entered his name into the Draft. But despite being among the leaders statistically and having arguably the best combine in the class, Raynaud’s name was absent from the first round.

Notable teams that were linked with Raynaud over the course of mock draft season were the Brooklyn Nets, Orlando Magic, and Boston Celtics, though each went in a different direction in the first round. That said, they'll all have early-round opportunities to pounce on him as a second round selection. The Celtics have pick No. 32, and the Nets have the 36th overall selection. Even a contender like the Philadelphia 76ers could take advantage of the drop at No. 35.

The expectation is that Raynaud will still land at No. 32 with the Boston Celtics. Despite being in need of a center, Boston went a different route in round one, picking up 6-foot-6 Hugo González of Spain. That means the Celtics may be looking for a center in the second round, and Raynaud is the perfect player to take. He offers size and shooting ability from the outside, and has plenty of room to grow into a solid NBA player.