The Kings have just announced that Domantas Sabonis will not be re-evaluated for 4 to 5 weeks, again due to a partial meniscus tear in his left knee. The Californian racket remains under construction, and Maxime Raynaud will be able to continue to show himself as a starter.
Domantas Sabonis has not played since November 16, 2025, and the update of December 20 doesn’t help matters: Sacramento is now talking about a reevaluation “in 4 or 5 weeks”, which necessarily postpones a return at best during January, with no guarantee behind it. In the story, it was first a medical point “3 to 4 weeks”, and we find ourselves extending the bill. For the more teasing, we could even go so far as to ask the question: will we see Domas again in the Kings jersey this season? As the February 5 trade deadline approaches, Sacramento has announced that it is listening to offers for its senior players, so there is a world where Sabonis is packing his bags while he recovers.
Domantas Sabonis will miss another 4-5 weeks. Maxime Raynaud will still be the starter for 4 to 5 weeks. https://t.co/nSCI0ohTHj
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) December 20, 2025
Before getting injured, the Lithuanian pivot was turning 17.2 points and 12.3 rebounds, 3,7 passes et 1,2 interception. A production that is likely to interest a lot of teams in the Great League.
And this is where the story becomes interesting on the blue-white-red side: Maxime Raynaud is clearly propelled into the spotlight by the absence of Sabonis, to the point of having sequences where he is the most stable solution in the racket. This season it turns to 9.6 points and 5.1 rebounds since Sabonis’ injury, and especially 16.3 points and 7.5 rebounds over his last 8 games. And when we talk about great recent performances, we have a fresh example: 29 points and 11 rebounds against Portland, his best career game, in a cruel overtime defeat (134-133).
Maxime Raynaud’s best career performance, despite the Kings’ cruel defeat against the Blazers:
🟣 29 points (career-high)
🟣 11 rebonds (career-high)
🟣 2 passes
🟣 2 interceptions
🟣 10/20 shooting
The progress is exceptional… 🔥 pic.twitter.com/afcSibjpFd
— TrashTalk (@TrashTalk_fr) December 19, 2025
What that can mean, very concretely: more minutes and more responsibilities as a starter. The good news for him is that the window is there, wide open… and he is already getting his foot in it with matches that raise eyebrows, even when the final score hurts.
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