Draft outlets hail Maxime Raynaud as a 2025 ‘steal’ after breakout rookie season

Maxime Raynaud’s first NBA season has moved from solid rookie campaign to draft-value case study after the Sacramento Kings center was named to the 2025-26 NBA All-Rookie Second Team on May 20. Sacramento selected Raynaud with the No. 42 pick in the 2025 draft, and team and draft-focused outlets have since described him as one of the biggest bargains in that class. Sports Illustrated’s Kings coverage called him the “steal of the 2025 NBA Draft” after his All-Rookie selection, while NBA and Kings materials fixed the baseline numbers that drove the case. The 7-foot-1 French center appeared in 74 games and made 56 starts for Sacramento, according to the Kings’ May 20 release. The team said he averaged 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 26.5 minutes per game, shooting 57.1% from the field. NBA.com’s league announcement listed Raynaud on the All-Rookie Second Team alongside Jeremiah Fears, Derik Queen, Ace Bailey and Collin Murray-Boyles. ### How unusual was No. 42 making an All-Rookie team? The No. 42 draft slot is the number that has driven most of the reaction. Sports Illustrated’s Kings site said Raynaud was the only non-lottery selection to make an All-Rookie team this season, a point repeated in separate Kings-on-SI and Yardbarker items this week. The NBA’s May 20 All-Rookie release supports that framing. NBA.com listed first-team selections Cooper Flagg, VJ Edgecombe, Kon Knueppel, Dylan Harper and Khaman Maluach, and second-team selections Fears, Queen, Bailey, Raynaud and Murray-Boyles; Raynaud was the lowest draft pick among the 10 players named. ### What did Raynaud actually produce as a rookie? The Kings’ official release gave Raynaud slightly stronger numbers than some social-media recaps circulating this week. (si.com) Sacramento said he averaged 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 26.5 minutes across 74 games, with 56 starts. Inside Basket, in a French-language recap after the All-Rookie announcement, said Raynaud “benefited from” Domantas Sabonis absences to establish himself in the Kings rotation. (nba.com) Sports Illustrated’s Kings site similarly said Raynaud moved from backup center to a larger role as Sabonis dealt with injuries. ### Why are outlets using the word “steal”? (nba.com) Sports Illustrated’s Kings coverage used the phrase directly, writing that Sacramento “got the steal of the 2025 NBA Draft” with Raynaud at No. 42. A separate SI item this week repeated the same framing after his All-Rookie nod. Yardbarker’s aggregation of Kings coverage put the reaction in narrower terms, calling Raynaud’s breakthrough “an incredible accomplishment by the second-rounder” and noting he was the only non-lottery selection on either All-Rookie team. (insidebasket.com) ### Did the voting show he was close to first-team range? (si.com) A panel of 100 global media voters selected the 2025-26 Kia NBA All-Rookie Team, according to NBA Communications material cited by Yardbarker. Yardbarker said Raynaud received 26 first-team votes and 58 second-team votes, leaving him tied for the sixth-most points in the voting. (yardbarker.com) Inside Basket went further in its assessment, saying Raynaud “could potentially” have been on the first team. That was the outlet’s interpretation, not the league’s wording, but it reflected how close his vote total left him to the upper tier of rookies this season. ### What comes next for Raynaud after the rookie honors? France’s basketball federation selectors have included Raynaud in a 16-player squad for the early July 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying window, according to Le Figaro, L’Equipe and Eurohoops as cited in the source briefing. (yardbarker.com) Those reports said he is the only new player in the group and is in line for his first senior national-team call-up. The July window will pit France against Belgium and Finland, with veterans Rudy Gobert and Evan Fournier also named in the squad, according to those reports. (insidebasket.com) For Raynaud, the next public markers are the France camp and the Kings’ second offseason after a rookie year that has already changed how his draft slot is being judged.