What Will Maxime Raynaud's Rookie Year with Kings Look Like?

After the former Cardinal star was drafted in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings, Maxime Raynaud's dream of being a professional basketball came true. And only a couple of weeks after, Raynaud saw his first action as an NBA player when he took part in summer league.

Dominating during the competition, Raynaud's promising performances raise the question about what he could be capable of as a rookie.

Entering the season, the Kings have a lot of depth at center which could make it hard for Raynaud to see significant minutes. Domantas Sabonis is locked in as the long-term starter and behind him are newly acquired players in Drew Eubanks and Dario Saric--two players who have been key reserves for previous teams that they have been on during their NBA careers.

So Raynaud will have to really fight hard for a spot in the rotation, but if he is able to earn some minutes, he could very well silence any doubters. In his very first summer league game against the Orlando Magic, he scored 16 points while recording six rebounds and two assists-- ending the game as arguably the best player on the floor. He then followed that up with a 17 point, five rebound and two assist game, helping the Kings earn the win over the Chicago Bulls.

But summer league is a whole different beast than an actual NBA game. Raynaud will face the best of the best when it comes to established superstars in the NBA, which will really prove how good he is.

Even though he was a second round pick, Raynaud signed a three-year contract that includes guarantees over the first two seasons which signals that he will be on the NBA roster, not in the G-League, his first season.

The Kings are a rebuilding team and while they have a fair amount of talent in Sabonis, DeMar DeRozan and Zach Lavine, seeing what guys like Raynaud bring and if they can be cornerstones in the future will be a major priority.

Raynaud brings a lot of strengths, known for his exceptional shooting ability, passing and elite rebounding and shot blocking. But there are also parts of his game that Raynaud will need to work on if he wants to truly be a complete player at the pro level, most notably his perimeter defense and interior scoring. This season will be about him developing those skills and growing even more as a player.

Overall, Raynaud could very well end up becoming the steal of this draft and evolve into a star for the Kings. But as a rookie, he will probably be used sparingly to begin the season while the Kings feel out their roster, and spend his first season as an NBA player growing his game so that he can be a future NBA superstar.

Rookie season stat line prediction: 8.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists