Batum praises Max Raynaud
Clippers veteran Nic Batum publicly praised Sacramento rookie Max Raynaud on March 30, highlighting Raynaud’s potential and growth (x.com). The shout‑out is showing up in feeds as a notable early endorsement for the rookie from a respected NBA veteran (x.com).
Batum is a 17-year NBA-season veteran, is 37 years old, and finished his run with the French national team with Olympic silver medals in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024. (en.wikipedia.org) Maxime Raynaud is a 7-foot-1 French center who played at Stanford and was selected 42nd overall in the 2025 NBA Draft by the Sacramento Kings. (espn.com) This season Raynaud is averaging roughly 12.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game across his appearances for Sacramento. (statmuse.com) His March scoring surge includes multiple 30‑point outings, with a 32-point performance on March 17 and a 30-point game on March 19, per his ESPN game log. (espn.com) National outlets have described Raynaud as one of the bigger “steals” of the 2025 draft after those high-output games and expanded minutes. (si.com) Analysts have pointed out that Raynaud’s emergence is already raising frontcourt questions for Sacramento, including discussions about the team’s plans at center and the status of Domantas Sabonis given his knee history. (espn.com)
