Drafted in 42nd position in June, Maxime Raynaud is one of the only rays of sunshine of the Kings’ season. After their seventh defeat in a row last night at Golden State, Sacramento is penultimate in the Western Conference with 8 wins and 30 losses.
The French pivot, who played 30 games and started 16, averages 10.5 points and 6.4 rebounds per game. During his sixteen starts, he exceeded the bar of ten points eleven times and that of ten rebounds six times. Raynaud, who should be present in Los Angeles for the Rising Stars Challenge, looks much more mature than his young age would suggest.
“Since he has been in the rotation, he continues to impress us with his calmness and his way of reading the game”Doug Christie told us before the game against the Warriors. “Max is not a vertical threat on pick-and-rolls, but when he receives the ball 3 or 4 meters from the basket, he has the ability to finish the action with a mid-range shot or by finishing at the rim. He can also read the game and make the right decisions, finding the pass to make when he is in the paint. »
Above all, Christie wants the Frenchman to focus on the fundamentals. “I want him to continue to be physical, I want him to continue to focus on rebounding”he tells us. “And then, we must not forget that he is young. So we have to let him play, let him make mistakes. We also get to know him. We didn’t know before drafting him that he had such a consistent little floater. »
A very big margin for progress
The Kings coach alternates between admiration for his player, but also benevolence and recognition of the context in which he finds himself. Being a rookie center in the NBA takes a lot of learning, and with Sacramento in the bottom of the Western Conference and Domantas Sabonis still unavailable, they can afford to give him playing time while focusing on other fundamentals of his career.
“For him, his progress will come from situations that will be new. Store experience. At this point in the season, most rookies are facing a wall, so we make sure he continues to take care of his body, work out, etc. Even if it’s not something sexy, it’s something determining, and it’s hard to make that understood to rookies before they encounter a physicality that they are not used to.”Christie explained to us. “We would also like him to be more comfortable in hand-to-hand combat, but once again, as a rookie, it’s all a question of experience. We evaluate him, we take notes and we work with him to help him develop. The list of things he needs to improve on is long, but we also have to take into consideration the type of player he is, his personality, and marry these two aspects. »
How to build on these foundations?
Over the last sixteen matches, Maxime Raynaud plays an average of 30 minutes of play. If he gains experience, the opposing teams are also getting to know him. The pivot is now on the scouting report of other teams, and Doug Christie sees the Frenchman’s second part of the season as a test to take a step forward.
“The next step is to ask how he can build on this foundation. How can he capitalize on his strengths? How to help him develop his offensive arsenal so that he can thwart the defense when they close out their first move,” he explains. “We work hard with him on his support, his tempo, his physicality, understanding the angles when he sets screens and knowing who he sets the screen on. Do we want to force the defender to go over or under? These kinds of details. »
One thing is certain, Raynaud continues to progress and this is what his coach remembers: “When you watch the videos from the start of the season and those from the last matches, you see that he has already progressed a lot! »
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