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I'd draft him in the low 20s, but not at 14
With the 14th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft the San Antonio Spurs select
Maxime Raynaud
I did a deep dive and I’m fairly certain if he is on the board he will be the pick at 14.
At 1st glance this may seem like a reach but I did a deeper dive and I think it is an appropriate pick.
1st off let me give you an evaluation of the 22-year old big man. At the combine he measured at 7’0 without shoes with a 7’1 wingspan and 9’2 standing reach. 236 lbs.
Averaged 20.2 pts and 10.6 rebounds at Stanford during his senior season. Shot 46.7% from the field, 34.7% from 3, and 77.0% from the line.
Came in 2nd behind Cooper Flagg for ACC player of the year. Pac-12 most improved player in 2024.
Came close to becoming the First Player in ACC history to lead the league in Points and Rebounding. 2nd in scoring, 1st in rebounding. The only other players in conference history that came close to this feat were Tim Duncan and Rasheed Wallace.
Very Durable never missed a game due to injury in College
Team Captain his senior season
2nd in NCAA with 25 double-doubles (Stanford single-season record) only behind Yaxel Lendeborg with 26
Offensive game: scores inside and out. Variety of post moves and uses both his left and right hand. Shows the ability to score at 3 different levels. Outside, mid-range and inside. Won’t shoot many mid range shots in the NBA but he can make them. Shot 34.7% from 3 his senior on 5.5 attempts per game. His 67 made 3’s rank 2nd all-time for a 7-footer in college basketball behind only Lauri Markkanen. Shows ability to put the ball on the ground and showed some playmaking ability with his 1.7 assists per game.
Defense: At first glance when you watch his tape he doesn’t come across as a good or bad defender. Very average. You look at the stats and he only averages 1.4 blocks per game. The further you get into the tape though the better he gets. I’ll touch on this later but he is very much a late bloomer. In March he averaged 2.7 blocks per game and showed some real talent guarding wings on the perimeter. Starts to switch onto guards and does really well. Uses his physicality and athleticism to force ball carriers to undesirable spots.
Overall I believe he has the talent to develop into a two-way player that affects both sides of the ball. He is by far the Highest IQ player in this draft.
Analytics: When I started running analytics on all the players in this draft a player that kept surprisingly popping up was none other than Mr. Raynaud for defense and offense
23rd in Box DBPR
50th in BPR
10th in PER
15th in Defensive Win Shares
22nd in Offensive Win Shares
17th in Win Shares
6th in WARP
25th in True Shooting %
Raynaud is very much a late bloomer and has a similar backstory to the greatest player in Spurs Franchise History. Yes, Tim Duncan. Raynaud only started playing basketball in middle school. He was a very talented swimmer that was one of the best of his age group. He only started playing basketball because his mother wanted him to play a team sport. Not very highly recruited he only really went to Stanford because he could pursue the highest levels of education but also play basketball. His parents were both biotech engineers. Raynaud focused on academic over athletics for most of his life. Like Timmy D he also spent 4 years in College.
Okay cool story but why would the Spurs pick him over much more highly touted prospects. Can’t they get him in the 2nd Round? Raynaud really impressed at the Combine and was the leader on the court for his team. If you watch the games you can clearly see and hear him on the court as he called out to other players where to be on offense and defense. His IQ is 2nd to none in this class. He will rise up draft boards. Will he rise up lottery levels. Probably not for most teams but the Spurs think differently. After potentially drafting Dylan Harper at 2 the Spurs FO may want to transition more to pro ready players. The Spurs biggest need? Well if you check the statistics the biggest glaring weakness last season was rebounding. The spurs ranked in the bottom of the league in almost every rebounding category. They will want to fix that this offseason and Raynaud, one the best rebounders in this class can definitely help.
Still not convinced the Spurs will pick him at 14? Well I have 2 more major reasons why they will. The 2 most important reasons possible. The most important people in the Spurs organization that will be Raynaud’s biggest sponsors/supporters to drafting him.
I’ll start with Sponsor 1a. Mitch Johnson-
The Spurs new Head Coach will want to leave his own mark and build the team that best supports his coaching style. I believe that style will be a team that is highly efficient on the offense. When Johnson played at Stanford the Lopez brothers described him as a Maestro on Offense. A genius when it came to running the offense from the point guard position. When the Spurs first drafted Victor Wembanyama rumors swirled that they wanted to pair him with a big man. No not Zach Collins. Brook Lopez. A big man that could stretch the floor from the 5 position. They tried to do it with Collins and he failed miserably. Last offseason rumors swirled that the Spurs were interested in Lauri Markkanen. Well Danny Ainge. lol Jazz how did that work out? Well now bring it back to this draft. Who is the best 3-pt shooting big in this class. Maxime Raynaud. With NBA spacing his 34% could skyrocket. NCAA basketball is a different breed that can make it hard for shooters. Especially 7-footers. With Mitch Johnson’s Stanford ties I believe he will be a huge supporter for drafting Raynaud. They will have all the information they need on him.
Sponsor 1b. Victor Wembanyama. Really good friends and former teammates. Played at Nanterre and with the French National team together. We all know Victor is very proud of his French heritage and has constantly supported the other French players coming into the league. He went to bat for his other former teammate Coulibaly when they both came out. Even said he was better than the Thompson twins and better than anyone coming out of college. Rumors swirled last year that the spurs would have drafted Tidjane Salaun last year had he been available with pick 8. Rumor was Wemby personally would have taken him under his wing. Raynaud and Wemby are very good friends. They play Chess together often. Raynaud’s grandfather was a Chess Champion in France. Both very highly educated. Both academically inclined. In an interview Raynaud said he goes to sleep at 10pm. Very similar to Wemby. A very mature 22 year old. In that same interview Raynaud talks about how he can play the 4 or 5 and references his on court chemistry with Wemby.
How will Raynaud fit with Spurs his rookie year? More than likely he will slide in as the backup 5 this next season. He will provide much needed rebounding and floor spacing. A connective role player off the bench. In future seasons as the late bloomer continues to develop he could become a running mate next to Victor. The Twin Eiffel Towers. The Check Mate Bros
Overall I believe Maxime Raynaud is a very compe ive, athletic, high IQ basketball player that will understand his role and play his part on the court.
Is he who I would pick? At 14 No. Would you pick him? Probably not at 14. Does it matter? No. I don’t believe Queen, Maluach or Sorber will be on the board so I can live with it. Spurs will pick who they want and I believe this will be their guy.
So say o to Future Spur Maxime Raynaud.
Last edited by scottspurs; 05-16-2025 at 03:02 AM.
I'd draft him in the low 20s, but not at 14
would agree as to passing the eye test. Coordination and movement seems really controlled for his height. Maybe even more so than maluach. Not sure about his strength though for the position. Rather spurs move down @38 than take him at 14 if the spurs have the confidence.
Agree, like if they trade Orlando 14 for 19/26. I’d consider a trade back like that if Bryant, Sorber, and Liam are gone at 14.
You had me at "Highest IQ". I'm such a sucker for smart players.
Send in the card, they're calling for #14.
This would be a Primo level reach tbh
I'd rather have a 21032 first round pick
Not really being he’s a decorated known commodity. Don’t pander ….or do.
He‘s older though so 14 is still a reach. He was mocked in the 2nd round and shot up boards due to having a great combine. You could get a similar player in Kalkbrenner at 28-32
His 3-point shooting form is really unorthodox, not sure if he can improve his percentage. Even though he seems to be able to play with his back to the basket, he doesn’t seem capable of backing other players down. But it seems to have good footwork and he rebounds well, which ultimately is what the Spurs need.
I like his skillset and he seems like a player that could help the spurs in a position on need, just not at 14. There are several players there, that will be available with a much higher upside. If the spurs trade back into the early to mid 20's, then maybe its possible. There is no need to reach especially in this draft where there are plenty of good players available early on.
I agree with everyone that says this would be a bit of a reach. That said at some point the Spurs are going to want to start drafting more ready made prospects. At pick #2 you obviously have to do with the best player available. More than likely that will be 19 year old Dylan Harper. Do the Spurs really want to draft yet another 19 year old at pick 14? Regardless of which 19 year old they draft at 14 that player won’t be able to crack the rotation for at least a year or 2. They will be more of a project.
They tried that with Branham and Wesley and it’s not really planning out. It made sense at the time because you were still in the tear down phase. Now the Spurs are aspiring for the playoffs. You need to build a legit rotation in order to make that happen. Not add another developmental piece. Carter Bryant, Noa Essengue, Will Riley or Asa Newell won’t crack the rotation this next season. Do they have higher upside? Yes, but you can make a case that Raynaud is getting better as well since he is such a late bloomer. Getting better and averaged 20 and 10. The Spurs will definitely take a strong look at that.
Cedric Coward, Nique Clifford, Yaxel Lendeborg (if he stays in draft), Walter Clayton Jr, Kam Jones, Rasheer Fleming and Danny Wolf also fit this mold but you could argue Raynaud is a player that best fits the Spurs. Coward’s production is with a small sample size because he got hurt. Nique Clifford makes a ton of sense but at a position that is less of a need. Yaxel Lendeborg would provide rebounding and shooting as well but he is even older that Raynaud at 23 and is only 6’8 compared to Maxime’s 7 foot. Walter Clayton and Kam Jones will be solid pros but make no sense if the Spurs draft Harper. Rasheer Fleming is worrisome because the shot may not be real and he played against questionable compe ion. Danny Wolf I’ve warmed up to but he needs to have the ball in his hands to unlock his full potential and is nowhere near the shooter Raynaud is.
Raynaud is a way better version to what the Warriors got in Quentin Post last season. Not a very sexy pick but highly effective and able to crack the rotation. He won’t make it to pick 38. The production and skill level are to good. Hansen Yang is also rising up draft boards. Ryan Kalkbrenner will probably go before pick 38 probably the perfect fit for Boston who will lose some guys. Some team will fall in love with Johni Broome. The Spurs could get wiped out at Center if they wait. Pick 38 probably won’t be who we expect. The Spurs like using that pick on someone that will sign a two way. You could sign someone in free agency but they will only be a bridge player. The Spurs need size and rebounding.
The Spurs need rebounding. Teams are starting to use double bigs more often. Watch the playoffs. Spurs are not making the playoffs next year with the current big situation. They will get pushed around with Harrison Barnes at the 4. Rebounding and size must be added. Why not draft a guy that can bring that but also space the floor
That said if Queen, Maluach or Sorber make it to 14 I would be disappointed if they were not the pick. They have way higher upside. Spurs need some dogs that can bang down low though
The French Connection is real.
Spurs absolutely need players who can provide size, shooting, and basketball IQ. Any player that can reliably give them all of these should be prominent on their list. With Harper on the team the focus clearly has to be on wings and bigs. Raynaud seems like an interesting and Spursy pick, and if it will make Wemby happy to have his chess partner on the team I'm all for it -- as long as he is actually a useful player as well. There are some intriguing wings around that spot in the draft and it might be disappointing to pass on them in favour of a clear reach. But perhaps they can find someone for the wing spot who is less of a developmental project, via trades or free agency.
No reason to spend more than a second round pick on him, especially with the potential talent around the 14th pick.
I could see this if the Spurs trade back to the end of the 1st round/early 2nd round and add a future pick for the war chest.
Reynard with the 26th-32nd pick sounds pretty workable. Brooklyn might be in play here.
Either way, I doubt the Spurs use the 14th pick this draft.
I mentioned Raynaud on one of my post as having a great show at the Combine. And I suspect he’s a potential candidate with the Wemby connection. The Saluan and Golly-bally was real. And based on recent draft picks where Spurs heavily relied on performance at the Combine. He definitely addresses the need at mobile big. But there are better choices at 14 I think. But he’s a strong candidate for sure.
I just don't see one of them not being there at 14. Plus players like essengue and flemming i find more appeal (maybe even wolf). If the spurs see so much value however, I wouldn't mind maybe spurs trading back Boston's pick swap for their 28th pick. It's not a lock but chances would be more substantial at getting raynaud atleast. Or the best available big.
Hawks and Bulls are picking right before us, both teams need rim protection.
if mcneeley and sober are both off the board, i'd take raynaud over wolf, and maybe even coward, especially if the spurs could trade down.
The putrid stench of Miss Cleo past prognostications precedes you
You can even add kalkbrenner to the list of availables whose numbers aren't that far off. He even looks to have a more sturdier frame. I will say I'm more on board of the necessity of a shootingforward/guard as a priority as opposed to a center because i think plugging the right piece will require a longer learning curve for whoever that is oppose to a center, but if the spurs can use one of their assets to better their 38 pick with eyes on a bigman, I'm all about it.
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