Don’t look now, but the Stanford Cardinal have now won 6 of their last 7 games. Center Maxime Raynaud has been grabbing headlines nationally as Stanford continues to cling on to postseason hopes during their inaugural season as part of the ACC. While the team could be destined for March, Raynaud seems destined to be an NBA Draft selection this coming summer.
Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud is the Main Attraction
At 7′ 1″, Raynaud has an eye-catching frame and impressive skills to match. In an NBA currently dominated by European “unicorns,” the Parisian certainly fits the bill. A towering 7-footer with guard handles and shooting abilities, Raynaud is what every NBA team is searching for.
Raynaud is a career 35% three-point shooter with a good-looking stroke on both catch-and-shoot and also has an off-the-dribble game. His length allows him to convert easy baskets near the rim and score over other bigs with ease. He has impressive touch around the basket. Raynaud’s length also allows him to be a disruptive defender and rim protector – he averages over a block per game. He has both the height to play above the rim and the lithe to attack defenders off the dribble.
His 21 points and 15 rebounds against Syracuse mean Raynaud now has 13 20-point games to his name and 17 double-doubles, a mark no one else in college basketball has reached this season. Averaging 20.5 points and 11.8 rebounds on the season, he is the only player in the nation to be top 10 in both points per game and rebounds per game.
Maxime Raynaud tonight.
21 points
15 rebounds
3 assists
3 steals
W over SyracuseOnly player in country Top 10 in points/game and Top 10 in rebounds/game.
Oh, and Stanford is still alive for an at-large🤔 pic.twitter.com/vMxOL99exh
— T3 Bracketology™️🏀 (@T3Bracketology) January 30, 2025
Raynaud does have a pension for turnovers and has a negative assist-to-turnover ratio, but he has demonstrated some passing chops. Unlike many big men, Raynaud is not a foul magnet and has not fouled out of any contests this year. He is #1 in the ACC in scoring, and although many figure that Duke Blue Devils star Cooper Flagg will be the ACC Player of the Year, Raynaud has a legitimate case to win the award ahead of him.
Stanford’s Maxime Raynaud is now tied with Duke superstar Cooper Flagg (the #1 overall recruit in his class) with the most ACC Player of the Week Awards this season (each has 3). Go Card!@StanfordMBB https://t.co/SBoTQ1rrsv
— Chris La Puma🌲 (@ChrisLaPuma) January 27, 2025
His ceiling in the NBA is extremely high. He is a good enough shooter to function as a floor spacer, the skills to take advantage of mismatches and attack closeouts, and has the tools to improve as a switchable defender. Raynaud has a chance to be a first round pick in the 2025 Draft.
Raynaud is Powering Stanford Towards What Would Be Their First Trip to the Big Dance Since 2014
Stanford basketball has not participated in March Madness in over a decade, and while this year’s team is by no means a lock for the tournament, there is still a chance that their star big man could lead them to the promised land. Projections have the Cardinal at around a 20% chance to make it into the field of 68.
To do so, Raynaud will need to continue to be his dominant self. The ACC’s leading scorer is going to have to be all gas, no breaks for the final 10 games. Stanford has road matchups at #2 Duke and #21 Louisville in February that will give them an opportunity to earn a season-defining win.
Stanford now has a make-or-break stretch, with back-to-back games against SMU and Wake Forest. Both the Mustangs and Demon Deacons are in a similar position to the Cardinal, needing to add quality wins to a so-so resume to have any hope of getting into the NCAA Tournament as an at-large. Stanford, SMU, and Wake Forest are currently the 4th, 5th, and 6th teams in the ACC, and there is likely to only be room for one of the three to make it to March.
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