Stanford Head Coach hints Maxime Raynaud has more to his game than he’s shown

Stanford Head Coach hints Maxime Raynaud has more to his game than he’s shown

know nice enough to join us. I know he was on the morning show uh recently. Uh Kyle Smith, Stanford head coach, Maxim Reno’s head coach. How are you today, coach? Thanks for joining us. I’m doing great. Yeah, we we appreciate it. Tell us about Maxim Reno and what uh you think suits his game the best for the for the pro level. You know, Maxim, first of all, he’s just a a wonderful person. I hope he you know, he’s a big personality and I hope you guys get to to know that about him. Uh, and I think he gets such great satisfaction, really joy from his teammate success. So, he’s kind of unique quality that way. And then he’s just a fantastic talent. How he how he slipped to 42 in the draft is I’m a little biased, but I’m a little it. Uh, he’s a 71 perimeter player. Really, I think he’s very comfortable in the basket. Most comfortable facing the basket. He can shoot the three, can shoot mid-range, he can drive to the basket. He’s also good with his back to the basket. He’s a good passer. Um and he’s a good athlete and he can move his feet. So, um I think you guys are you’re gonna like what Maxim has to bring and you’ll be excited to watch him grow. Hey coach, uh when I look at Maxim at Stanford and just some of his numbers, we we know he can shoot the three, but he only took about two threes per year his junior year. You take over at Stanford and he’s up to five and a half threes per year. Is that something you challenged him? Hey, we want you to take more threes uh this last season. I think it’s both ways. I think he knows he had that in his game and he just started coming to his junior. He knows he needed to probably expand that part of his game and then he’s lucky that I showed up because I think that when I was at Washington State, I think we led the Pack 12 at three-pointers attempted in four out of the five years. And uh we like, you know, we really try to model our our offensive package, what NBA teams are doing. Um and uh he just looked like a a perfect case study just uh throwing the ball a lot and let him and let him go to work. Coach, it seems to me that the one thing you really can’t teach in a player is just court vision. Players either have it or they don’t. How about his his court vision, his ability to find open teammates? He’s good there, especially with his back to the basket because he played primarily his first three years. they they kept him, you know, more in low post. Had some older guys that are he was probably their fourth option, especially his fourth and fifth option freshman and sophomore year. Um so he he was used to, you know, handling some cover downs. He saw a lot of double teams this year and he has a really good sense like most Europeans. Um and then uh he’ll he’ll throw some nice back doors and you know, my assistant was up there watching practice yesterday and said he made two two passes he hadn’t seen before. So, I think he’s playing with no no knocking our team. I love our team, but he’s going to be playing with some better players and figure it things will things will open up a little more. They really will. And so, I think he he’s really suited to play with a good and he’s going to learn from one of the best big man passers the game’s ever seen. And, uh, it’s a bonus. And hopefully, uh, what what a great guy to learn under. Kyle Smith, Stanford basketball coach, joining us here on the drive, guys. Coach, I’m looking at uh Maxim’s rebounding numbers. How would you characterize him as a rebounder? Because, as you know, some guys get rebounds because they’re tall, some guys are great rebounders. Where where would you say Maxine fits in when it comes to that? He’s both. You know, he’s got good size, good length, and he has a really good understanding of where the ball’s coming off. Like he’ll get you’ll know, you’ll see he’ll get some defensive rebounds. He’ll be significantly above the rim that he just kind of has a good good sense of timing. And then he also he also knows when he has to block a guy out and and get the ball, but he’s just what we call he’s a good retriever. Um and I think he had I want to say 26 double doubles in the country in double doubles. Um so he’s he’s good there. Uh he’ll he’s better on the defensive end maybe. Um which is fine. That’s how you get stops. That’s pretty important to me. And then I think uh depending on his role, I think he can he can help get you some extra possessions too with bat outs and because he’s like he’s long, he’s fast and good hands. Um two hand rebounders. So um it’s hard to it’s hard to lead the country in double doubles. It’s hard to average 20 and 10 in the ACC and he accomplished both. Coach, as you said, a lot of people surprised that he lasted as long as he did. And some say, well, it might have been a question of his his foot speed. You mentioned his defense. Um, do you think that’s a fair criticism? Some scouts, at least those on the internet said, “Yeah, you know, a good player, but the foot speed might have might have kept him in the draft longer than expected.” What do you think of that notion? You know, I I think it’s inaccurate. Um, so, but again, I’m biased. We’ll get to see. I I just know that he’s really good on switching ball screens and keeping guards in front of him. I think you’ll be surprised he can really sit down in a stance and move. Honestly, he kind of looks like he’s really well proportioned. kind of looks like a 71 tennis player to be honest. Like he moves his feet like that. So he’s really good. Um and uh not his I’d say he’s not that bulky but he’ll get stronger. He’s about 240. Um but in a pretty long frame so I think he needs to get stronger would be a fair uh you know because and most 22 year olds do. And then you know and I told him we didn’t let him block shots. He could not afford to get in foul trouble. So he was not allowed to swing at the ball. He’s about to move his feet over there and that’s an area that uh he’ll take up space and he’s that I would say he’s not um we need to get better whether you can or not is just blocking shots but I think he’s so big and smart he’s going to be able to rim protect. Okay, that that’s great to hear, coach, because I was going to ask you about some of the numbers we see and you know, it sounds like when it comes to him defensively when it comes to shot blocking, ignore the numbers, right? Is that what what I’m hearing? I absolutely I I think uh now I don’t think he’s going to be a plus shot blocker, but he’s fine. Okay. It’s going to be fine. He’s big. He’ll block, you know, he actually he’ll block more shots in the guy’s hand like on a post move. He stays on the ground. He’s just kind of big and he’ll do a good job there. um as far as he’s just more he’s be more effective on just getting off the glass. He’s impressive there. Hey coach, uh switch gears to another player you had uh our guy Isaac Jones. Uh excited about him his second year. I know you had him at Washington State if I’m correct. Uh just uh what have you seen from Isaac and how proud of him are you that uh he’s made a name for himself here in Sacramento? No, I’m I’m tickled. I mean there’s not a nicer uh sweeter human being in the planet. He’s uh I call him Cobb’s gift to basketball. He’s just kind of built like a basketball player should be. He’s he’s about I don’t know what you guys list him at, but he’s probably about 6’8 with no neck, long arms, huge hands. Uh will surprise you how, you know, he’ll try to dunk on you from all over the place. He’s got really good feel for scoring, good dribbler, um and uh low range your athlete. So, um, even though he’s older, uh, than most that, you know, the the experience, he he’s still got a huge upside. Mhm. Um, and he can, you know, they played him a lot on the floor perimeter wise, which he hadn’t done much. He for us he played like a a four five. Um, or traditional, you know, 20 years ago what a fourman played like. Um, but I noticed a lot of their five out stuff they they had him play in the corner, but they also let him where I think he’s most effective. He’s just unguardable when you play him as it’s so you play on center as a downside center. It’s just he just becomes a really hard match. He’s going to draw two. So, um couldn’t have happened to a better person. Um he’s worked hard to get there and his journey is amazing. It’s quite a bit different than Maxine, but I’m just I’m I’m all in on the Kings, man. Light the beam. Yeah, we happen to see Isaac play uh for Stockton in March and oh my goodness, it was dominant at that level. But speaking of Maxim, I have one more for you, coach. On Maxim Reno, how during his time with you, have you seen his offensive game uh evolve? I mean, is is he capable of does he take more shots, more varied? How what have you seen as far as his offensive growth? I think he’s only going to grow in that area. I mean, we recruited him out of high school when I was at Washington State, so I had to watch him. I thought I said, “This guy’s got a chance to be an NBA player because he’s so big and he can shoot and he moved well.” Mhm. And then like I said, as he progressed from his freshman, sophomore to junior year, you could see him just gaining confidence and he got started making threes considerably his junior year. And I was like, “All right, this guy, we got to go.” You I think the NBA guys called Lei, like the five out, you know, Yogi said, “We’re going to just we’re going to throw him the ball at the top of the key, the elbows and low post, and we’re going to get his usage cranked up there.” And we did. I think we got it a 27 or 28 usage. and he’s a pretty unselfish guy. Um, and I just think he’ll just he’ll that was good for him to be a lead dog at this level and he’ll probably fill in to be really good complimentary player. You have he’ll stretch the floor. You can play off, you know, he’ll give that gives guys, you know, D Rose and Lavine, those guys that can penetrate uh gives them more room uh for them to make plays. So, I I think he’s going to be a great uh asset for the Kings. You know, coach, uh, uh, everything that people are saying about Maxim is glowing. With that being said, he’s going to be a rookie in the NBA in terms of, you know, the step up in competition playing with a D Rozan, Lavine, Sabonis, accomplished uh, veterans in the league. Will will Maxim go out there and and go for it as well or like how would you describe his temperament on the court and and how he fits in with a veteran uh group here in Sacramento? I think if you’re a veteran, this is a guy you want on your team. He’s a young guy that that wants to learn. He’s not he’s not super opinionated or feels like he’s going to have to do everything to to prove himself. Um and he’s a sponge. So I I think if I was a veteran, I’d be excited to have him. And then, trust me, I I think he’ll you’ll recognize early on in this uh summer league games that that his talent is there. Um so, I I’m excited. I’m I’m very high on him, as I should be, as I should be. But, and I’m very very thankful. He added a year to my contract, so that and and he’s really he made my life so easy on the transition and embracing me. Um, I said he’s a lover, man. He will love up his teammates, his team, the town, and uh he’s he’s an emotional guy. Not the the stereotypical French guy. He is. I’ll tell him that. He is a very he he’s he’s he’s a he’s a lover, man. He’s a giver. Uh and I think you guys will really enjoy him. Kyle Smith, head coach, Stanford men’s basketball. Thank you very much, coach. We appreciate it. Enjoy your summer. We hope to talk to you again soon. All right. No problem. Thanks. All right, coach. Take care, man. How about that? Oh, I’m ready. Let’s go. throw the ball in the air. You know, I see people on the YouTube uh weighing in as well. Uh Tristan G sounds like dude should have been picked first. What a steal, right? Yes. Yes. is key hot. You

Stanford head coach Kyle Smith joined The Drive Guys to share insight on the Sacramento Kings’ 42nd overall pick, Maxime Raynaud, give fans an idea of what to expect from the rookie center, and much more.

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