Hello sir or madam, are you very welcome? Maxime Raynaud in your heart? If not, now is the time to fix that. The rookie big man scored 12 points and 14 rebounds on Sunday and is averaging 15.1 points and 9.9 rebounds per game since being inserted into the Kings’ starting lineup thanks to Domantas Sabonis get injured. And with Sabonis out for another month, Raynaud should continue to put up valuable numbers like this for the foreseeable future.
Are there holes in Raynaud’s game? Certainly. You really only get points and rebounds from him; he doesn’t block many shots, get many steals, hit many threes or make many assists. He’s far from the all-around fantasy stalwart that Sabonis is, and considering he’s just a fill-in at this point, I can understand a future fantasy manager shrugging a bit at him. Even in a best-case scenario where he keeps the starting center job for the rest of the year, he doesn’t profile as someone you’d get superstar production from.
At the same time, there are reports that the Kings could be conducting a fire sale at the trade deadline, and that could very well include Sabonis. And if that sale were to extend to the Kings’ other notable veterans, such as Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan or Russell Westbrookthen it suddenly becomes plausible that Raynaud will at least become a double-double machine. And considering he’s only 22 and a rookie, expanding that role is certainly a benefit.
Are you going to get much more from him than points and rebounds? Maybe not, and it’s hard to fall in love with a big man who isn’t regularly giving you threes or blocks in 2025. Still, there is a very real path to being great by the end of the season, and his playing time won’t be tested until around February at the earliest. If he’s still available in your league, he’s definitely worth adding, because at worst you’ll get good production from him over the next month, and there’s a real chance that stretch will last even longer.
Other notes:
In his second match back from injury, Trae Young had 35 points, 9 assists and 7 threes in just 26 minutes. Remarkably, Jalen Johnson continued his sensational play of late in the same game, totaling 36 points, 11 rebounds and 9 assists. Granted, this was in an abnormally high-scoring game where both teams scored over 150 points, but that doesn’t change the fact that Johnson’s status on this team should be unquestioned from here on out, regardless of whether Trae is healthy or not.
Ivica Zubac will be out for a few weeks, which opens the door Brook Lopez to start in his place. Lopez has honestly looked extremely washed out this year, but he makes for a decent rental considering his ability to hit threes and block shots.
Egor Demin had 16-5-3-2 against the Raptors on Sunday. That’s three games in a row in which he has scored at least 14 points. He’s not doing enough to warrant his ownership in standard leagues yet, but the playing time should be there so it’s worth keeping an eye on him.
Kel’el Ware had 28-and-19 this weekend. He is averaging a whopping 24.7 points and 15 rebounds per game in his last three games and it’s hard to see him leaving the starting lineup from this point. It’s been a bumpy ride for Ware, who scored six or fewer points in his four games prior to this stretch, but those who stuck with him should be ecstatic now because he’s looking like a fantasy superstar.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. collected 23 points and 5 assists on Sunday. His production has been decent lately thanks to Tyler Herro being out, but his upside is limited when the Heat is healthy.
Mitchell Robinson had 9 points, 7 rebounds and a block against the Knicks. He’s been playing really well lately, but he’s only a streamer as long as he comes off the bench.
Kevin Porter Jr. filled the stat sheet with a 24-10-9-4-1 line against the T’Wolves. KPJ may be a terrible person, but he plays fantastic Giannis Antetokounmpo‘s absence. I’d sell him high if I could, not just because these numbers will drop when Giannis returns, but because he’s a turnover monster; he has 19 in his last three games and has the potential to lower your field goal percentage as well.
Ryan Rollins produced 16-4-5 in 23 minutes in Minnesota on Sunday. Him being moved to the bench isn’t exactly helpful if you have him in fantasy, but the Bucks are terrible and should continue to play him enough to be productive.
Dennis Schroeder was a beast on Sunday with 24 points, 10 assists and 7 rebounds in 32 minutes off the bench. His production should continue to fluctuate, but he has a chance to become a reliable fantasy producer if enough pieces fall into place in Sacramento.
Dominick Barlow scored 21 points and 4 rebounds against the Mavericks. The fourth-year player hasn’t done much to garner fantasy consideration yet, but he’s finding himself increasingly entrenched as the Sixers’ starting power forward.
Cam Spencer collected 19 points, 11 assists and 4 rebounds on Saturday. This feels like a good time to invest in Spencer, who has played well lately and could potentially earn a more stable role if Morant were traded in a few weeks.
Saint Aldama was a monster over the weekend, totaling 37 points, 10 rebounds, 5 threes, 2 assists, a steal and a block against the Wizards. Aldama is a pretty inconsistent player (he had three points and two rebounds just two games earlier!) but nights like this highlight why he’s worth keeping.
#maximum #ime #Raynauld