By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
The Sacramento Kings received encouraging news regarding center Maxime Raynaud. An MRI revealed a right patellar subluxation, meaning he avoided a major knee injury.
The issue occurred late in the second quarter of Saturday’s exhibition against the Golden State Warriors, forcing him to exit early. According to a team announcement on Sunday, medical staff will reevaluate him in about two weeks.
While the initial scene looked serious, the diagnosis brings immense relief. Still, the 23-year-old French center must sit out the rest of the NBA Preseason 2026. He will also miss the start of the 2026–27 Regular Season.
Before getting hurt, the Stanford product excelled across three exhibition games. He averaged 11.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, and one block per contest over three appearances, including one start to cover for missing Lithuanian star Domantas Sabonis.
His strong play followed a busy offseason, where he made his first four senior appearances for the French national team. He averaged 13.0 points and 3.8 rebounds in the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers.
Losing Raynaud certainly hurts Doug Christie’s frontcourt rotation. Selected 42nd overall in 2025, the Paris native put together a stellar rookie campaign. He put up 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds over 74 games last year, starting 56 of them.
Sacramento now finishes its warm-up schedule without him. The squad hosts the Portland Trail Blazers at Golden 1 Center on Wednesday. After that, they visit the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. The Kings officially open their Regular Season next Wednesday against the Los Angeles Clippers at Intuit Dome.
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