The Sacramento Kings got as good news as possible for second-year big man Maxime Raynaud, as he was diagnosed with a right patellar subluxation yesterday. The All-Rookie big was set to have a primary rotational spot, likely as the main backup to Domantas Sabonis off the bench or playing with him in two-big lineups.
But they'll be without Raynaud for the foreseeable future as he recovers, and the Kings should take their time getting him back on the court, as they are in no hurry to compete for a playoff spot in the second season of their rebuild. That doesn't mean the Kings aren't trying to win, though. And they'll have to find some way to fill Raynaud's minutes, and to do so, they should lean into their small ball options.
Small Ball Options Galore
One of the most intriguing things about the Kings roster heading into the 2025-26 season is how many different rotational options Doug Christie has. There's a reason almost every player got on the court during the last preseason game against the Golden State Warriors.
Even with Raynaud out, the Kings have multiple options at center. Sabonis will start, and Dylan Cardwell will get an increased opportunity to anchor the defense as the other big body option, but Sacramento has three players who can fill in as small ball centers.
Precious Achiuwa, Ben Simmons, and Jonathan Mogbo could all back up Sabonis and fill in for the center spot, with Achiuwa being the most likely of the three. The three all bring a unique combination of size, athleticism, and switchability that would make for some interesting lineups. Pairing them with other long wings like Keegan Murray, De'Andre Hunter, and even Nique Clifford would give the Kings lineups that would be able to switch almost one through five.
Achiuwa proved last year that he could excel as the small ball five, with some of the Kings' best basketball coming down the final stretch when they leaned into those lineups more. According to Basketball Reference, Achiuwa played just 17% of his minutes as the five last year, compared to 51% with the New York Knicks in 2025-26.
Simmons is obviously an intriguing option, as he would create a matchup nightmare for opposing teams on offense, but he would have to prove he could handle bigger centers inside if teams try to take advantage of him on defense. As with everything else this season, Simmons is a huge X-Factor for everything the Kings can do this season.
The Kings want to get out and run, and having any of these three on the court should help with that. The same can be said for Cardwell, who can get out in transition, but it's the ability to switch everything, play connected defense, and get out and go that could be the priority to the Kings, compared to Cardwell's ability to sit back and protect the paint.
Hopefully, Raynaud will be back sooner than later, but until then, the center rotation will continue to be one of the biggest question marks heading into the season.
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