Where will Maxime Raynaud's breakout at Stanford land him in 2025 NBA Draft?

San Francisco Chronicle​

5 days ago

Maxime Raynaud didn't distinguish himself in his first two seasons at Stanford as he averaged a combined 6.9 points and 5 rebounds per game.
Then the 7-foot Frenchman blossomed as a junior, bumping those averages to 15.5 and 9.6, respectively. He then took his game to another level as a senior this past season, averaging 20.2 points and 10.6 rebounds en route to earning first-team All-ACC honors.
With the NBA draft set for this week, Raynaud seems likely to earn the distinction of becoming a late first-round pick Wednesday or -- at worst -- an early second-round choice Thursday.
How has Raynaud risen from someone who started just five games as a freshman to someone on the precipice of joining the NBA? He'll tell you it stems from putting in the time and effort.
'You just work,' Raynaud said in a phone interview Thursday morning. 'You get better every year. You stick to your process, stick to your routine and eventually you get better. That's what four years of college are for.'
Raynaud received his degree in computer science this month. After the 2023-24 season, Raynaud entered the transfer portal, but he opted to remain on The Farm and become the anchor of Kyle Smith's first season as the Cardinal's head coach.
2025 NBA Draft
In his previous job as Washington State's head coach, Smith certainly knew of Raynaud. Once Smith got to know Raynaud personally, the Paris native impressed Smith both on and off the court.
'He does have the growth mindset, which is usually the separator for most of the guys,' Smith said. 'The ability to work through your weaknesses and add a little dimension (to your game), I think he was able to do that every year.'
The Cardinal went 21-14 in 2024-25, including 11-9 in the ACC. Smith ran the offense through Raynaud, which enabled the big man to expand his game as a passer and as a 3-point shooter. He went 67-for-193 from beyond the arc as a senior. In his first three seasons combined, Raynaud was 45-for-130 from long range.
'They just gave me a lot of freedom,' Raynaud said of Smith and his staff. 'We meshed pretty well. They really had confidence in me and my abilities, so that helps a lot.'
Smith believes Raynaud is NBA-ready in terms of his proficiency in hitting corner 3's and his ability to switch onto smaller players when necessary. 'What people don't know is he can really move his feet defensively,' Smith said.
He likened Raynaud to the Pelicans' Kelly Olynyk and the Lakers' Maxi Kleber.
Raynaud is listed at 237 pounds and Smith thinks Raynaud 'still needs to get stronger, more physical. He can become a better shot blocker.'
Smith quickly added that one reason for Raynaud's relatively low number of blocks (50) this past season was a result of the coaching staff telling him not to leave his feet to attempt to block a shot. The Cardinal simply could not afford to have Raynaud get into foul trouble.
Raynaud apparently raised his draft stock with a strong performance at the combine in Chicago last month. 'He looked like an eight-grader playing with sixth-graders,' Smith said. Raynaud estimated that he has worked out for about 10 teams.
Last year, one of Raynaud's former teammates, forward Harrison Ingram, got taken by the Spurs in the second round. Barnes had spent his first two seasons with the Cardinal before he transferred to North Carolina.
The most recent player drafted directly from Stanford was forward Ziaire Williams, the 10th overall pick in 2021 by New Orleans. The Pelicans quickly dealt Williams to Memphis. He played three seasons with the Grizzlies and this past season with the Nets.