Kings lose Maxime Raynaud to apparent serious knee injury
The Sacramento Kings center went down with a right knee injury in Saturday's preseason game at Golden State and was taken off in a wheelchair, with team sources fearing he could be out for a while.
Why Maxime Raynaud is trending
Maxime Raynaud is trending because the Sacramento Kings' second-year center went down hard with what looked like a serious right knee injury late in the first half of Saturday night's preseason game at the Golden State Warriors. Raynaud was setting a screen for rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. with Stephen Curry defending in the area when bodies collided. He took contact to the outside of his right knee, immediately yelled out in pain and went down to the floor.
The reaction around him signaled how serious it looked in the moment. Kings coach Doug Christie called a timeout and walked out to midcourt himself to check on Raynaud, who sat with his hands over his face. As teammates gathered around, team trainers called in an EMT with a wheelchair to get him off the court and back to the locker room.
What we know so far
Raynaud spent halftime getting tests on the knee at Chase Center. Early in the third quarter, the Kings officially ruled him out for the rest of the game with a right knee injury. He was wheeled from the X-ray room to the hallway outside the visitors locker room, where general manager Scott Perry and team owner Vivek Ranadive came to see him. Ranadive gave him a hug.
Team sources told ESPN there is a growing fear inside the organization that the Kings have lost Raynaud for the foreseeable future. Sacramento had no official update on the injury once the game ended. Raynaud was expected to get an MRI late Saturday night to determine the extent of the damage.
What is not known yet
The Kings have not put out a diagnosis or a timeline beyond calling it a right knee injury. Until the MRI results are in and the team speaks publicly, how much time, if any, Raynaud will miss remains unknown.
Why this stings for Sacramento
Raynaud was coming off a strong rookie year that had him penciled in for a real role this season. He made the NBA's All-Rookie second team after averaging 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds across 74 games, a notable return on a 42nd overall pick. He was expected to back up starting center Domantas Sabonis and give the Kings a dependable frontcourt option off the bench, which is exactly why the mood around the locker room Saturday night was as heavy as it was.
Facts per ESPN, ESPN box score. Opinion is the taproom's.