Darius Acuff Jr. and Maxime Raynaud are still figuring each other out, and on Sunday in Summer League, that showed up in the one area Sacramento needs them to click most: the pick-and-roll.
That two-man action is the backbone of so many good offenses, and right now it’s the connector the Kings’ young guard-big pairing hasn’t quite found. Acuff Jr. and Raynaud were making their first Summer League run together, and the rhythm just wasn’t there yet. That’s normal for first-time teammates, but it also makes the next step pretty obvious.
Raynaud already knows what this kind of partnership can look like. Last season, he built strong chemistry with Russell Westbrook, and Westbrook’s passing was a huge part of that. Westbrook, who has 10,351 career assists, found Raynaud repeatedly in the pick-and-roll, including 17 assists on Raynaud’s career-high 32 points against the San Antonio Spurs on March 17.
Sactown Sports’ Matt George wants to see Sacramento lean harder into that same idea, especially with Acuff Jr. and Raynaud. Acuff Jr. has already developed some chemistry with Dylan Cardwell, but George believes the Kings should be pushing the Raynaud connection more now that the big man is in Summer League.
"I wanted to see the Kings focus a little bit more on trying to run the pick-and-roll offense that Russ and Max ran so much last season," George said. "I wanted to see that a little bit more than we did in tonight's game (Kings vs. Washington Wizards)."
For Acuff Jr., the fit matters because he’s still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game. He averaged 6.4 assists for the Arkansas Razorbacks last season, which led the SEC, and a cleaner two-man game with Raynaud could help speed up that transition.
Raynaud gave Sacramento something to build on in the loss to Washington. He finished with 20 points and 12 rebounds, and he looked sharper with better post work and more willingness to shoot threes.
That shooting touch is what could take this partnership to another level. If Raynaud’s three-point improvement holds, he becomes a pick-and-pop problem as well, not just a roll man. That would force defenses into tougher choices and open up more room for Acuff Jr. to operate.
In that sense, the Kings have a real chance to turn this into a dangerous pairing. Acuff Jr. would have more space to get where he wants on the floor, and Raynaud could start collecting the kind of easy looks Westbrook used to create for him.
The upside is clear. The chemistry just has to catch up.
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