Future Spur: Maxime Raynaud

[Ice009]

If we've never heard of him and you watched Jokic shooting a 3, how would you describe it?

Point taken. Great example, and I shouldn't say that about Raynaud when I've always said previously that form isn't everything to me. If you can get the shot off at the NBA level (this matters as some people can shoot, but can't get the shot off when going against NBA level defenses) and hit it consistently, then that is what matters.

[TD 21]

I really don't think there's a single non-Victor Big in the league that I would put on the same tier as David Robinson, Hakeem, Ewing, Duncan, Garnett, Shaq, or Kareem today. It's true those guys didn't shoot threes, but that doesn't mean those guys wouldn't totally dominate today. Giannis is hardly a 3 point shooter and half this board wants us to trade half our roster for him. That said, I don't really want to spend a lot of time arguing the point. I understand why someone would watch a guy like KAT and think he was more skilled than Robinson or Duncan, but I honestly think he would be a bench guy during an era when they actually played defense and called travels.

Jokic is already ahead of Robinson, Garnett and Ewing all time and might end up ahead of O'Neal and Olajuwon too. Too much has to go right to pass Abdul-Jabbar and Duncan though.

They do play defense, the rules and superior athleticism/skill just made it more difficult to play.

From technology to practically everything advances over time, but somehow many old heads think a still relatively young league hasn't.

Better is subjective obviously, but there's really no credible argument to say it's less athletic/skilled.

[RobinsontoDuncan]

Jokic is already ahead of Robinson, Garnett and Ewing all time and might end up ahead of O'Neal and Olajuwon too. Too much has to go right to pass Abdul-Jabbar and Duncan though.

They do play defense, the rules and superior athleticism/skill just made it more difficult to play.

From technology to practically everything advances over time, but somehow many old heads think a still relatively young league hasn't.

Better is subjective obviously, but there's really no credible argument to say it's less athletic/skilled.

Look -- a lot of people share your opinion, and Jokic has been one of the best players in the world in this era. I personally think he would struggle going up against DRob, Hakeem, Shaq, etc. and would really struggle to get much at the basket going up against two athletic 7 footers without the space and rule changes that enabled them. Doesn't mean he wouldn't have been really good, but I dont think he would have been quite as dominant in a different era. But whatever, opinions are like assholes and all that.

[SpursGenius]

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.

dude you are stupid this guy is not athletic at all and there are like 5 centers better than him at 14.

[scottspurs]

dude you are stupid this guy is not athletic at all and there are like 5 centers better than him at 14.

whatever you say Genius. Thanks for your input

[objective]

I did not enjoy seeing him celebrate a play by grabbing his privates and making a show of it.

I don't think it will put off the Spurs though. They didn't like Primo for his cement shoes after all.

[rascal]

dude you are stupid this guy is not athletic at all and there are like 5 centers better than him at 14.

After all he wrote he said he wouldn't draft him at 14 so why would the Spurs.

You have to look closely if the player looks good because he's playing against smaller/slower college players and will his quickness/atleticism translate into the NBA.

Spurs can package a trade up from 38 to get him if they want him. At 14 there will be better value (players with higher upside) or even someone who falls unexpectedly. 14 is a lottery pick so try to draft a player who has at least a chance to be a starter.

Maxine will only be a backup at 5 with the Spurs.

[Guru of Nothing]

whatever you say Genius. Thanks for your input

Makes me think of Curly from the Globetrotters.

[SpursGenius]

After all he wrote he said he wouldn't draft him at 14 so why would the Spurs.

You have to look closely if the player looks good because he's playing against smaller/slower college players and will his quickness/atleticism translate into the NBA.

Spurs can package a trade up from 38 to get him if they want him. At 14 there will be better value (players with higher upside) or even someone who falls unexpectedly. 14 is a lottery pick so try to draft a player who has at least a chance to be a starter.

Maxine will only be a backup at 5 with the Spurs.

Berenger and Neidenhoffer or whatever his name from Penn state are the guys we should focus on trading up from 38. Maxime sux plain and simple

[scottspurs]

Maxime Raynaud is in San Antonio and will meet with the Spurs today.

[R. DeMurre]

I could certainly see it, especially in a scenario where the Spurs trade #14 for a later pick plus future assets. Acquiring a future Goga Bitadze/Luke Kornet productive back up big type who also happens to be tight with Wemby isn't the worst idea. Givony has him higher than most, and he had a really good showing at the draft combine scrimmages, which seems to be historically something the Spurs look at. I haven't done a deep dive, but his hook shot and rebounding stand out.

[SpursFan86]

I like Raynaud, just not at 14. In a scenario where we trade 14 as part of a package for KD or some other veteran, I’d be thrilled to see us use 38 + other assets to get into the 1st round and get someone like Raynaud.

[Mr. Body]

Maxime Raynaud is in San Antonio and will meet with the Spurs today.

"Where is Victor?"

"In Tibet becoming a monk."

"Oh, merde."

[R. DeMurre]

I'm sure Wemby is intellectually curious and genuinely interested in the the Shaolin Monastery experience, but also traveling to China and being in the news there is a genius marketing move, presenting himself to a country of 1.4 billion people as a young rising basketball star who has an interest in Chinese culture... That's not something Anthony Edwards or Ja Morant are doing.

[jjspur]

I would love for the spurs to take Raynaud at 38, but he won't be there. If the spurs trade the 14th pick (and possibly a player) for the 19th and 27th picks from the nets, Ray Ray may still not be there at 27. He played decently in college and he did pretty well at the combine, enough to probably make it into the early 20's. Some team is definitely going to trade up just to get him.