2025 NBA Draft: Maxime Raynaud Scouting Report
Evaluating the France and Stanford prospect ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft.
— This is a guest post written by Harry Zhang.
DRAFT EVALUATION: Late first, early second (No. 28-35)
LAST BIG BOARD: N/R
NBA ROLE: Stretch big who attacks closeouts
REMINISCENT OF: Quinten Post, PJ Hall
RAW STATS: 20.2 PTS, 10.6 REB (2.7o/7.9d), 1.7 AST to 2.4 TOV, 0.9 STL, 1.4 BLK, 2.0 PF in 33.5 MINS in 35 GAMES
ADVANCED STATS: 6.3 BPM, 0.6 DBPM, 30.3 USG%, 55.8 TS%, 9.4 OREB%, 28.7 DREB%, 11.9 AST%, 14.2 TOV%, 0.7 A/TO, 1.5 STL”%, 4.6 BLK%
Background:
— Background by Wilko Martínez-Cachero.
BIRTHDAY: April 7, 2003
HEIGHT: 7-foot-0¼ barefoot
WINGSPAN: 7-foot-1¼
STANDING REACH: 9-foot-2
WEIGHT: 237 pounds
Father is Philippe Raynaud, who is 6-foot-6. Mother is Vanessa Raynaud, who is 6-feet tall.
Played for France at 2019 U-16 Euros and 2023 U-20 Euros. Under consideration for the next Olympic cycle. Will suit up for the senior national team sooner rather than later.
2019 U-16 EUROS: 2.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, 1 assist
2023 U-20 EUROS: 14 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Developed at Saint Charles Basket after stops at Paris Université Club and Eiffel Basket Club.
Signed for Nanterre as a 17-year-old in 2020. Averaged 12.8 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists to 3.6 turnovers, and 1.8 ‘stocks’ in 15 games.
Was teammates with Victor Wembanyama.
Completed his studies at the prestigious Lycée Henri-IV in Paris. Interested in astrophysics. Graduated from Stanford with a computer science major and math minor. Was a competitive swimmer growing up.
Began his journey at Stanford as a walk-on. Went on to become incredibly productive:
Takeaway:
Maxime Raynaud is an extremely productive senior from Stanford. The Frenchman averaged 20.2 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 1.4 blocks per game. He was named first team All-ACC.
Everything with Raynaud’s offense begins with his three-point shooting. Raynaud shot 34.7% from deep on 5.5 attempts per game (9.9 per 100 possessions). While the percentages aren’t elite, the confidence is clearly there and his high release point makes his shot impossible to alter. The free throw numbers at 77.0% (3.3 FTM/4.2 FTA) are also encouraging but I think the touch level isn’t elite. Raynaud can hit catch and shoots, pick and pops, and even trailer threes, although Stanford played a slower offense this year. He also has great instincts for relocations though he’s not a movement shooter.
Because of his gravity from outside, Raynaud can attack poor closeouts with straight line drives. Once he has a running lane, it’s almost impossible to stop him at his size and skill. The 22-year-old also showed fun flashes of playmaking and handling, making him one of the few center-sized players in this class with a real chance to be a dribble/pass/shoot big.
Raynaud’s playmaking and handle is definitely what makes him potentially special, but I am very unsure if that will truly translate to the NBA, especially his handle. He has a high center of gravity and sometimes seems to lack balance when he needs to change directions. His handle can be so loose that it gets out of control.
Raynaud was truly the number one option of his Stanford team (31.5% USG, second in ACC), but I expect his NBA role to be much simpler. He can score on the interior with both hands, especially with a signature post hook, but I have doubts about his physicality and strength at the next level. The Stanford prospect also has some intriguing flashes of post fadeaways, but those are a little bit too inconsistent for me to buy into.
Defensively, Raynaud is not like a 7-foot-1 center in terms of his presence. His pick-and-roll positioning and overall rim protection/shotblocking are subpar. I am not sure if the French big will ever be switchable.
Therefore, I think Raynaud’s NBA success very much depends on his consistency from deep as a stretch big who can attack closeouts, and gives teams versatility and spacing on offense. Whether or not his on-ball creation can translate to the NBA is still questionable to me at this point.
Xiaohan Zhang, Harry, is a basketball lover studying anthropology in Hong Kong. He is dreaming of becoming a scout.
Article edited by Wilko Martínez-Cachero.
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