If you’re a basketball analyst, or just watch the sport in general, you’ve judged a player off their aesthetics before. Maybe you assumed a dude with a funky jumper couldn’t shoot before watching him drain five threes against your team, or maybe you figured a fat 6’11” European dude would be unskilled and uncoordinated when really he’s the best player in the world. When you’ve watched a ton of hoops, you start to trust your eye test to a potentially excessive degree. It can be easy to get stuck on initial visual impressions, but many players have way more to them than what meets the eye. Rookie center Maxime Raynaud is a great example of this.
Raynaud has been breaking out for the Sacramento Kings lately. The young man has entered the starting lineup in Domantas Sabonis’ absence and is playing some impressive basketball. On December 18th against the Trail Blazers, he scored 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, making him one of just five rookies to score 20+ and grab 10+ boards in a game so far this season. Raynaud looks like a real NBA contributor, but you wouldn’t think it based on his aesthetics alone.
The 22-year-old big fella is an awkward mover. He clumsily runs around the court like he isn’t used to his 7’1” body yet. He lumbers past closeouts, flops into floaters and launches his threes like he’s an ancient catapult. His misses are all over the place; some clank off back iron, some barely grace the front of the rim. If you catch him on a bad night, you’d think he has no touch.
It certainly doesn’t help Raynaud’s aesthetic appeal (from a basketball standpoint) that he looks like the type of kid you’d see at a thrift store with an oversized hoodie and wired headphones (well, if you ignore his height). He just doesn’t pass the initial sight test. But, you can’t judge a book by its cover, because he’s actually quite good at hoops.
In the month of December, Raynaud is averaging 16.4 points and 9.4 rebounds on 55.1% from the field and 44.4% from three. He makes up for his lackluster athleticism with a thorough feel for the game. The Frenchman fills the right gaps on the floor, weeding through defenders to get to his patented push shot or throw down dunks with surprising intensity. He knows where he wants the ball and he gets to those spots. He’s been an effective P&R partner for Russell Westbrook and Dennis Schroder, setting hard screens and making himself available for pocket passes. The rook is delivering 4.7 screen assists per 75 possessions, which ranks in the 95th percentile according to BBall Index. His jumpshot does need work if he’s going to become a viable NBA shooter, but the foundation for growth in that department is there, as he shot 34.7% from deep on 5.5 attempts a game in his pre-draft season at Stanford.
That’s right, Raynaud is Stanford educated. He’s a smart cookie. He graduated with a double major in computer science and mathematics, which is far from typical for an NBA player. Again, don’t judge a book by its cover.
Twenty-four general managers passed on Maxime Raynaud on 2025 draft night. Did they avoid him because of his aesthetics? Who knows. Do at least some of them regret not choosing him? Absolutely, because he’s becoming an impact player in this league just 20 games into his career. The lesson here is to block out aesthetic bias, as tough as it can be sometimes, and instead focus on a player’s actual basketball ability. Flashy athleticism, jaw-dropping highlights and “aura” don’t lead to successful NBA careers. Consistency and concrete results do, and that’s what Raynaud is bringing to the table for the Kings.
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