Former Stanford Star Dominating NBA Summer League with Kings

Just four months ago, Maxime Raynaud was breaking records for the Stanford Cardinal. Now, he’s dominating in the early stages of his career at the professional level.

Raynaud started at Stanford four years ago, where he came in as a freshman who had not spoken English that had just started playing basketball. But four years later, he became a Stanford legend, leading them to their first 20 win season in years.

He averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds as a senior, led them to huge wins, and became the face of the program. His emergence as a leader for the program and his growth from year to year over his four years with the program are what led to him being selected by the Sacramento Kings in the NBA Draft last month.

Like the vast majority of rookies, Raynaud is competing in the NBA’s Summer League in Las Vegas, NV. Two games in, the Frenchman is dominating

The Kings faced the Magic on July 10 with Raynaud in the starting lineup, and he showed why he deserved his spot. In 26 minutes, he finished with 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. He shot 6-of-11 from the field, and 2-of-5 from three. Not only did he prove that he belonged, but showed why he was a top player on the hardwood.

In his second game of Summer League action on Saturday night, he followed up with more success. Raynaud put up 17 points, five rebounds, and two assists, shooting 8-of-15 from the floor and 1-of-4 from three in a victory over the Bulls.

Two games in, Raynaud has put up totals of 33 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists, shooting 14-of-26 from the field and 3-of-9 from three. On average, that is 16.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2 assists, some very solid stats for a center, especially in their first two games of Summer League.

Raynaud's early performance has Kings fans in Sacramento clamoring on social media to give him more playing time in his rookie season already, despite being the 42nd pick in the draft. He has been a great big man, getting open with ease, moving off the ball, and getting easy looks.

Despite being nearly 7-foot-2, Raynaud has been hitting threes too, proving that his senior year of college wasn’t just a fluke. He really can do anything on the court and can impact the game in numerous facets.

One thing Raynaud needs to work on over Summer League is his rebounding. As a big center, he needs to be able to be a force on the boards. At Stanford, he averaged roughly 11 rebounds per game, and if he can put up similar numbers in the NBA, he will surely be on his way to becoming a great player.

Raynaud has been great, but his time in Vegas isn’t done just yet. The Kings still play at least two more Summer League games, where he can continue to prove that he is one of the players to watch heading into the 2025-26 NBA season.