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Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif
Initially predicted to be a second-round pick, Maxime Raynaud could well cause a surprise on draft night. The French center is indeed turning the heads of top American experts, as the event is less than two months away.
Unlike the last two years, the first pick in the 2025 draft is likely to go to an American player, Cooper Flagg. This makes sense, given that he’s widely touted as a better player than the rest of his teammates, but this year’s draft class is nonetheless very deep. There are several French players who could once again be selected in the first round.
Among these, one of them has seen his stock skyrocket in recent months. After dropping a career year at Stanford in 2024-25, Maxime Raynaud followed up with an excellent Draft Combine that earned him praise from top NCAA experts in the United States. Jonathan Givony, the draft king across the Atlantic, actually was in awe of him in a long article written for ESPN:
Maxime Raynaud impressionne avant la draft 2025
The most impactful performance of the day from a draft stock perspective undoubtedly belonged to Raynaud, who posted 20 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in 25 minutes. The French big man measured well at taller than 7-foot barefoot, 237 pounds with a 9-2 standing reach, similar dimensions to Toronto Raptors center Jakob Poeltl.
Raynaud has very different skills than Poeltl, though, hitting on-the-move 3-pointers with ease in the scrimmage while showing impressive skill handling the ball on the perimeter, finding teammates on the move and scoring in the post with strong footwork and touch. But we knew he was capable of all that from his time at Stanford.
What we saw in Chicago was the level of intensity and physicality he was willing to bring on the interior — barking out instructions, defensively anchoring the paint, going right through smaller defenders inside, and bringing terrific energy on the glass.
Raynaud’s defense was considered a major concern in college, and while it is still far from perfect, the sheer size and reach he brings coupled with his much-improved physicality allowed him to make a major impact in the 5-on-5 scrimmages, changing shots around the rim and even hedging ball-screens well out beyond the 3-point line to generate turnovers.
Every team in the NBA is looking for 7-footers who can stretch the floor, pass and hold their own defensively and on the glass, so Raynaud did very well for himself not sitting out the scrimmages like several of his peers projected as early second-round picks did. Teams in the first round told us they are monitoring his strong play and will surely have even more interest in him moving forward.
