Maxime Raynaud Still Available for Boston Celtics in Round Two of NBA Draft

In a little bit of a surprise of the first night of the NBA Draft, Stanford's Maxime Raynaud was not selected. Earlier in the day, he'd been mocked to land with the Boston Celtics, particularly after the Kristaps Porzingis trade earlier this week, but they instead went with Hugo González out of Spain with the No. 28 selection.

González had been mocked to the Utah Jazz with the No. 21 overall pick, so for him to land with the Celtics later in the round may have been a tad unexpected. He's going to be a work in progress, but projects well as a wing defender that could use some help knocking down the three ball.

Funnily enough, that's the exact opposite of Raynaud, who's defensive footwork may be the biggest knock on him, while his size and ability to stroke it from deep have been some of his positive traits. With González on the roster, the question for Boston is now whether he will be their project for the upcoming season, or if they're going to land Raynaud, as projected, just a few picks later.

To begin the second round, Maxime Raynaud is projected as the top available player, but with the Minnesota Timberwolves holding the first selection of the second round, their top fit, according to ESPN, is Saint Joesph's forward Rasheed Fleming, the second-best player available.

That could leave Raynaud right there for the Celtics at No. 32 overall.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony still thinks the Celtics land him there, saying, "Maxime Raynaud to the Celtics at No. 32 makes sense as an older, 7-foot prospect who can space the floor and potentially be ready to soak up minutes after the Celtics traded Kristaps Porzingis to the Hawks."

The 7-foot-1 Frenchman was a walk-on at Stanford initially, and picked up basketball in his senior year of high school, so he has shown that he's not only a quick study, making big strides each and every season in college, but that he has a lot of growing left to do with his game.

Starting as a walk-on and turning into a projected first rounder four years later is also a testament to his hard work and dedication to the game.

With Jayson Tatum likely to miss the entirety of the 2025-26 season after his Achilles injury in the playoffs, Boston could use this season to level up some young and unproven talent, like González and potentially Raynaud, while also using the opportunity to get under the second apron in the process by trading Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.

If the Celtics end up with Raynaud, this could end up being more of a growth and development season for Boston as they re-tool the roster for 2026-27.

Any team that ends up with Raynaud could have a steal on their hands, especially in the second round. But a franchise like the Celtics could really help him thrive and reach his full potential a little more quickly. It will be interesting to see if the Celtics end up going this route, or look to utilize the pick in another way.