By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
European basketball excelled in the 2025-26 Kia NBA All-Rookie Second Team, as French center Maxime Raynaud secured a well-deserved selection on Wednesday.
The Sacramento Kings player was the only non-lottery pick to earn rookie honors, having been drafted 42nd overall in the 2025 NBA Draft, presented by State Farm. The Paris native flourished after earning a starting position during the long stint of Lithuanian Domantas Sabonis on the injury list, posting impressive averages of 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. Raynaud garnered 26 first-team and 58 second-team votes to finish joint leader of the Second Team with 110 total points.
Additionally, Real Madrid academy product Hugo Gonzalez, now a wing for the Boston Celtics, captured five points from voters. Beyond the Spanish import, Russian playmaker Egor Demin secured two votes during his rookie year with the Brooklyn Nets, while Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis rounded out the European contingent by claiming a point for the Miami Heat.
On the ballot’s upper tier, Dallas Mavericks sensation Cooper Flagg, who took home the Rookie of the Year trophy in late April, unanimously secured a first-team nod, matching fellow Rookie of the Year finalists Kon Knueppel and VJ Edgecombe. Dylan Harper and Cedric Coward rounded out the First Team, while Derik Queen, Jeremiah Fears, Ace Bailey, and Collin Murray-Boyles joined Raynaud on the Second Team.
With these freshman honors settled, the league’s postseason awards rollout shifts toward the All-Defensive Teams on Friday, the All-NBA Teams on Sunday, and the Coach of the Year on Tuesday.