C'est difficile: Matching up with Maxime Raynaud

Scouting the dynamic play of Stanford's stretch-5: Raynaud's growth as a player, how he's being used in combination with Jaylen Blakes for Kyle Smith and what it could mean for the matchup vs. Duke

Few players in the country can match the rare combination of traits Stanford center Maxime Raynaud brings to the table. At 7-foot-1, he's already a standout, but what truly sets him apart is the rare blend of multi-level scoring and playmaking skills that come with his towering frame. Raynaud isn't just a big man; he's a game-changer.

As one of the more prominent player development success stories in the country this season, Raynaud has grown as a player year over year at Stanford — across multiple coaching regimes. Now in a new conference and playing for first-year head coach Kyle Smith, Raynaud has unlocked another level. The result? He's transformed into an NBA prospect — one projected to be drafted this June — and a near-lock for First Team All-ACC honors.

What truly separates Raynaud from so many of his peers is his skill level. The coordination, feel for the game, shooting touch and conditioning: it’s all there. As his minutes have increased and his game has expanded, Raynaud has embraced his role as Stanford’s offensive cornerstone, stepping up his usage to meet the growing demands of his game.

Raynaud is dominating the stat sheet with a 29.0 percent usage rate, while playing over 84 percent of Stanford’s minutes this season. He’s responsible for 26.3 percent of the team’s total field goals, placing him in the 99th percentile nationally, per CBB Analytics. Beyond his scoring output, Raynaud anchors Stanford’s defense as a drop center and key rebounder, while also stepping up as a playmaker in the half-court with a 12.4 percent assist rate.

Currently, Raynaud is one of only eight high-major players that are 6-foot-10 or taller with a usage rate of at least 25 percent and an assist rate above 10 percent. He’s joined on this list by some of the top players in the country, like Auburn’s Johni Broome and Maryland’s Derik Queen, a future lottery pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Two other notable ACC players are featured on this list, too: Clemson’s Viktor Lakhin and Maliq Ewin of Florida State. Raynaud is the only player of these eight to attempt more than 100 3-pointers (132 3PA), and he’s the only player attempt above eight 3-pointers per 100 possessions. Former UNC PF/C Dawson Garcia, now with Minnesota, is the next closest at 7.2 3-point attempts per 100.

Raynaud’s numbers aren’t just a product of opportunity — they're a testament to his unique impact on the game. As Stanford’s offense revolves around him, the Parisian big man has become a nightmare for opposing teams, forcing them to rethink their game plans when facing the Cardinal. Let’s dive in and see how Raynaud is warping ACC defenses this season.

Un, Deux, Trois

During the 2023-24 season, Raynaud averaged 14.0 points in the paint per 40 minutes, which ranked in the 95th percentile nationally, according to CBB Analytics. That number has dipped this season, though it still remains at a healthy level: 11.6 paint points per 40 minutes (86th percentile).

This shift hasn’t come from some slippage in Raynaud’s game; in fact, he’s shooting 72.0 percent at the rim this season (76th percentile), up from 66.9 percent last season (62nd percentile), per CBB Analytics. Instead, Raynaud has operated more from above the arc, which has altered his shot diet.

Courtesy of CBB Analytics: Look above at Raynaud’s shot chart from this season and how it compares to his junior year. Raynaud has expanded his range in every direction — showing clusters from the midrange and above the arc.

After averaging 11.1 paint field goal attempts per 40 minutes last season, that’s down to 9.0 in the 2024-25 campaign. Unsurprisingly, Raynaud’s 3-point volume — as he’s evolved into a true stretch-5 — has increased significantly: 9.2 3-point attempts per 100 possessions, up from 3.7 per 40 in his junior season.

At the moment, Raynaud is in a bit of a slump from beyond the arc. He’s shot just 30.1 percent on his 3-point attempts in ACC play, including a frigid 6-of-33 (18.2 3P%) stretch over the last six games, though three of those games occurred with Jaylen Blakes, Stanford’s lead ball handler and top perimeter creator, out of the lineup.

Despite the efficiency setback, Raynaud has continued to let it fly from deep, and that’s what matters most. With his willingness to challenge defenses with that quick-trigger stretch component, Raynaud has created gravity out beyond the 3-point arc.

Cal’s defense, when guarding ball screens, wants to take away the paint, thus the team’s two centers — Mady Sissoko and Lee Dort — are primarily used in drop coverage, defending below the pick. As Cal tries to push Blakes to his weaker left hand in this ball screen action, Raynaud counters and slides to the middle of the floor. Blakes probes for another dribble and kicks a pass out to Raynaud, who catches the ball when Sissoko (12) still has two feet in the paint. That’s too much space.

That gravity has cascading benefits for Stanford’s half-court offense. A stretch-5 that can lift up defenders and force weak-side stunts or hard closeouts can be a real stress test for a defense. Whether it’s a 5-out set or a high ball screen into a pick-and-pop, that action opens things up in other spots on the floor.

It’s a different ball game, though, when a defense must account for a stretch-5 like Raynaud who can do more than just shoot. Raynaud creates even more problems with his ability to handle the ball in space and make reads as a passer.

Stanford loves to run this angled ball screen with Blakes (21) and Raynaud on the right wing — with Raynaud popping to the middle of the floor. Efton Reid (4), Wake Forest’s center, hedges softly in the direction of Blakes, though he stays below the screen. Still, that sliver of space is enough for Raynaud to pop into and blow up Wake Forest’s weak-side coverage. Raynaud receives the pass from Blakes, Cam Hildreth (6) stunts in his direction and Ryan Agarwal (11) performs a 45-degree cut, slipping into the lane behind the lunging Hildreth and Hunter Sallis (23).

(From the ACC archives: During the 2020-21 season, Virginia was rather good at leveraging the pick-and-pop gravity of its 7-foot stretch-5, Jay Huff, to open up weak-side cut opportunities for Trey Murphy III.)

Limited Coverage: Staying Conventional

Raynaud is at the top of the scouting report for every opponent. However, the plan to limit Raynaud requires more than one player. It must be a collective effort. This process starts with how a team wants to defend ball screen actions against Stanford.

So, how do you defend a player like Raynaud? If you opt for drop coverage, are your weak-side defenders prepared to stunt or closeout effectively? And when those stunts happen, can the other defenders rotate quickly when the off-ball players cut to the rim or the ball swings to the opposite side?

Or if you choose to hard hedge and put two defenders on the ball, are you ready to defend a 3-on-4 situation with Raynaud operating against a defense that’s already bent? Can your rotations stay tight and cohesive under pressure?

Can you switch? Do you have the personnel and communication down to handle those challenges? These are just some of the tough questions opponents must answer when facing him.

Hedge

Stanford runs a drag ball screen with an empty corner early in the possession here against Pittsburgh. The Panthers hard hedge the screen and Raynaud slips out to the empty side of the floor, where he receives the pass. Guillermo Diaz Graham (25), another ACC 7-footer who has some stretch potential on offense, scrambles to help on the back side, but his closeout stops short of Raynaud. This turns into a clean catch-and-shoot opportunity.

The gravity of Raynaud can really make life difficult for the center that needs to hedge the screen and recover back to the pop. When Raynaud screens for Agarwal a second time on this possession, NC State center Ben Middlebrooks (34) tries to stick closer to Raynaud as he pops toward the right slot. With Raynaud pulling him to his right, Middlebrooks doesn’t set the edge, which allows Agarwal to break contain — getting downhill, forcing Dontrez Styles (3) to help up and creating the cut opportunity for Chisom Okpara (10).

When defenses deploy the hedge against Stanford, it can also open up opportunities for Raynaud as a roller. With the defense in rotation and his man hedging out 20+ feet from the rim, Raynaud can get into the paint, where he works as a massive target with great hands. Look at this catch on the move.

Stanford’s secondary movement on this possession is imperative, too. Notice how, as Raynaud dives to the rim and Ismael Diouf (33) sprints to get back to him, Okpara (42.3 3P%) lifts back up the floor, along the left side of the lane. This is called “Roll/Replace” action and it’s designed to pull Styles out of the paint, thus removing him as a potential help defender on Raynaud.

One possession later, it’s the same thing. Raynaud screens for Agarwal and rolls to the paint. Okpara replaces back up the floor, though on this possession his defender, Michael O’Connell (12) hangs in the paint to chip on Raynaud.

This move from O’Connell takes ways the dive for Raynaud, but Stanford is ready to shift to its next progression: hi-lo action. Agarwal swings the ball to Okpara, which finally pulls O’Connell out of the paint. As Diouf scrambles to get back to Raynaud, the Frenchman leverages the space and seals in the paint — with good post position. From there, NC State is unable to send a second defender at Raynaud, plus he works quickly to capitalize on the advantage. With one dribble and a spin move, Raynaud is at the rim, showing off his touch with a lefty hook finish.

Drop

Conversely, North Carolina’s defense typically “Ices” or “Downs” side ball screens, aiming to keep the ball to one side of the floor and away from the middle. While this strategy is effective at limiting dribble penetration, it can run into problems when facing a stretch-5 like Raynaud. His versatility makes this approach more challenging to execute.

Here, RJ Davis (4) and Ven-Allen Lubin (22) Ice this angled action between Blakes and Raynaud. As Davis funnels Blakes to his right — and away from Raynaud’s screen — Lubin is there to meet the Stanford guard. Raynaud reads the coverage and slinks to the open space in the middle of the floor. Blakes throws a pocket pass to Raynaud. As Lubin recovers back to closeout, Seth Trimble (7) throws a minor weak-side stunt in the direction of Raynaud — as Agarwal again uses the 45-degree cut to get behind his defender.

The movement from Agarwal is mostly irrelevant here, though. Trimble never really bothers Raynaud with his stunt, and Lubin has to cover too much ground on the closeout, which creates an open 3-pointer.

On the flip side, if the defensive 5 closes out too hard, Raynaud can counter and drive the ball, too. He’s not a one-trick pony. Defenses can’t just run him off the line.

Stanford runs more high pick-and-pop action with Blakes and Raynaud — now on the left side of the floor. Once more, UNC tries to weak the action and push Blakes away from Raynaud’s screen toward the left wing, while dribbling with his weaker hand. UNC bottles up the initial action, but Stanford is persistent and runs it again. On the second try, Blakes hits Raynaud with the pocket pass. This is where Raynaud proves to be such a tough cover. Lubin sprints to closeout and contest a potential 3-pointer. With his defender flying at him, Raynaud shot fakes and puts the ball on the floor, attacking the closeout and getting all the way to the rim — with no size in the paint to challenge him at the cup.

In terms of its pick-and-roll coverages, Wake Forest has become a primary hedge-and-recover defense this year. However, the presence of Raynaud has caused Steve Forbes and his staff to reconfigure their coverages during the two matchups between Stanford and Wake Forest.

On this possession, Wake Forest is in a drop look like UNC: Reid is several feet below the level of screen while Ty-Laur Johnson (8) tries to weak Blakes and push him to his left. Blakes manages to snake back toward the middle of the floor. As that happens, Raynaud overlaps behind him and slides to the left wing, opening himself up for the kick-out 3.

In the span of a few months, Blakes and Raynaud developed a seamless chemistry, becoming one of the top duos in the ACC. Raynaud’s presence on the floor has been a game-changer for Blakes, opening up opportunities for the guard to have a career year as a relentless driver (52.6% 2P%) and playmaker (30.3% assist rate). According to CBB Analytics, Blakes has assisted on 41 of Raynaud’s field goals this season, highlighting their dynamic connection.

Switch

A defense could also opt to switch those 1-5 actions, putting a guard on Raynaud in an attempt to avoid rotations and limit the space he needs to pop to along the perimeter. In theory, this keeps the defense more organized in its shell and denies Raynaud his spot along the arc. But here's where Raynaud becomes an even bigger problem — he’s more than capable of exploiting this matchup.

With his size, fluid release and deep range, Raynaud will simply bomb over the top of the switch, which is exactly what happens here vs. Pittsburgh. Oziyah Sellers (4) and Raynaud run empty-side action, Raynaud pops to the wing and Pitt switches the action — Cam Corhen (2) takes Sellers and the 6-foot-3 Ish Leggett (5) is on Raynaud. Leggett applies a poor contest and Raynaud hardly even sees him as a drains a 3-ball.

Raynaud can also look to attack those smaller defenders in isolation or with a post-up.

Space vs. Switch

Stanford smartly leverages Raynaud's versatility by involving him in as much action as possible, but his shooting ability also makes him a valuable off-ball spacer. Positioning Raynaud in the corner does two key things to open up the floor: first, it pulls the opposing team's biggest defender out of the paint, and second, it provides a kick-out option for the other four players on the court.

Here’s a leverage-minutes possession from Stanford’s comeback win at UNC: the Cardinal runs “77” action for Blakes — staggered ball screens — with the left corner emptied out. Raynaud isn’t involved as one of the screeners. Instead, he’s spaced to the right corner. With three guards involved in the 77 action, UNC switches down the line; Davis takes Blakes after the final switch.

While working against his former Tobacco Road rival, Blakes his able to spin and get two feet in the paint, which pulls in multiple help defenders, including Lubin. This opens up Raynaud in the corner. From there, it’s an obvious pitch-and-catch read for Blakes, who sprays the ball out for Raynaud.

Quirky Coverages

A defense can’t take away everything. It must be willing to live with some things being available for the offense. When Raynaud screens for a teammate, it forces the defense to react — one way or the other. As defenses adjust for Raynaud, they must be both solid with their base coverages and also willing to try different things to counter his skill set. If Stanford knows what’s coming, depending on the location of the screen, the Cardinal can be be ready to attack with a series of automatic reads.

Wake Forest altered its help rotations when executing its hard hedge ball screen defense against Raynaud. Instead of having Reid hedge and recover to Raynaud on the pop, the Demon Deacons will X-out on the back side of the play. The nearest off-ball defender — Sallis on this possession — will switch out to Raynaud when he becomes the outlet man on the pop.

As that happens, Wake Forest must be ready to talk and make multiple help rotations — with Tre’Von Spillers (25) switching out to Jaylen Thompson (24), initially defended by Sallis, and Reid recovering all the way to the rim to help on Donavin Young’s (2) cut out of the corner.

This tactic can be especially useful during late-clock screening actions. It reduces the likelihood of a clean pick-and-pop jumper and, with time dwindling in the possession, makes it difficult to pass the ball around and find a good shot. Overall, this is an outstanding defensive possession from Wake Forest, which forces the shot clock violation.

That said, Raynaud is so skilled; he can also just make stuff happen. On the final possession of the first half, with the clock about to expire, Sellers and Raynaud run more pick-and-pop. Spillers hedges out on Sellers and Packer Friedrichsen (7) is tasked with switching up to Raynaud. This is where the Raynaud’s weirdness and talent take over. He looks to the left side of the floor, which causes Friedrichsen to leap up to defend a potential pass. With his defender off balance, Raynaud drives middle, which collapses Wake Forest’s defense. Before the buzzer sounds, though, Raynaud lets fly an un-blockable off-hand runner from 15 feet that would impress LaMelo Ball with its soft touch and degree of difficulty.

That’s too good, mate.

From in the first half against Wake Forest in Palo Alto: Sellers and Raynaud launch into pick-and-pop action in early offense along the right side of the floor. As Raynaud pops to the wing, Sallis leaves Thompson in the right corner and switches on Raynaud, trusting that Spillers will have his back switching out to Thompson. This creates another rotation, though, on the left side of the floor: Hildreth, who is an excellent weak-side help defender, leaves Agarwal on the left wing and covers ground to deflect this pass from Raynaud to a cutting Cameron Grant (20) at the last second.

In the rematch between these two teams, Raynaud struggled, committing five turnovers and hitting just 1-of-7 from beyond the arc. This came with Blakes still sidelined, and Smith placed a heavy load on Raynaud throughout the game. At times, Raynaud served as a point-center, orchestrating the offense. However, his inefficient performance wasn’t by accident — Wake Forest made a concerted effort to ensure he wasn’t the one to beat them.

With a one-point lead in the second half, Stanford runs a play that I like to call “Ram Exit” — another go-to pick-and-pop set. Anthony Batson (0) will set an off-ball screen for Raynaud, who will lift up to set a run-out ball screen for Agarwal. Meanwhile, after screening for Raynaud, Batson will run to the strong-side corner off an exit screen from Aidan Cammann (52). As Reid hedges this screen and Raynaud pops toward the middle, both Spillers and Sallis sprint out in his direction, which creates the kick and closeout attack from Sellers.

Pitt used a similar approach at times against Stanford, too. This is where the Panthers benefit from playing the 7-foot Diaz Graham as the de facto 4, next to the 6-foot-10 Corhen and the 6-foot-7 Zack Austin (55), one of the best athletes and help defenders in the country. When Raynaud screens, Corhen hard hedges on Blakes and Diaz Graham switches over to Raynaud — putting a 7-footer on a 7-footer.

Raynaud has a strength advantage on the sinewy Diaz Graham, but in terms of expected value, there’s a big difference between Raynaud sealing deep in the paint and what happens on this possession — a static post touch that occurs outside of the lane on the left side of the floor and results in a turnover for Raynaud.

Foreign Exchange: From France and the Netherlands

This Saturday’s matchup between Duke and Stanford presents an interesting challenge in both directions. For Raynaud, it’s an opportunity to work against the toughest defense he’s seen this season. Duke ranks No. 3 nationally in adjusted efficiency and loaded with impactful defenders in the frontcourt: Khaman Maluach, Cooper Flagg, Maliq Brown and Mason Gillis.

On the flip side, this is a new challenge for Duke’s defense. While the Blue Devils have faced a wide variety of offenses this season — like Kentucky’s 5-out machine and Auburn’s modified Flex — they haven’t had to deal with a high-volume 3-point shooting stretch-5 like Raynaud. According to Bart Torvik’s database, only five Division I players this season stand 6-foot-10 or taller, have a usage rate of 25 percent or more and are attempting at least eight 3-point shots per 100 possessions. Raynaud is joined here by projected Top 5 pick Ace Bailey of Rutgers and the legendary Robbie Avila, now at Saint Louis.

Defending Raynaud presents a unique challenge, one that will require Jon Scheyer and his staff to problem solve and find creative solutions.

As tempting as this is to build this up as a matchup between Maluach and Raynaud — two of the top center prospects in the upcoming NBA Draft — it takes more than one defender to handle a big that can shoot, handle, pass and post. That effort requires multiple defenders being locked into the assignment. This brings up the question: what coverage(s) will Duke use on Raynaud?

In terms of the ACC, the closest analog to Raynaud from the last few years is former Boston College center Quinten Post, a product of the Netherlands who is now in the midst of a productive rookie season with the Golden State Warriors. Post could become an important piece down the stretch for Golden State as Steve Kerr looks to augment lineups that feature so-so shooters Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green with a stretch-5.

What makes Post an appealing option for an NBA franchise that’s desperate to string another playoff run around the majestic play of Stephen Curry is what made him such a matchup problem while in Chestnut Hill. Over his final two seasons with BC, Post shot 42.9 percent from beyond the arc — on more than six attempts per 100 possessions. During the 2023-24 campaign, Post made a leap as playmaker, too: 5.3 assists per 100 possessions.

When Duke matched up with Post last season, the Blue Devils tried a few different things; however, their primary coverage involved a defensive cross-match at the 4 and 5 positions and a willingness to scram switch behind the play.

The cross-match involved Duke placing power forward Mark Mitchell on Post and center Kyle Filipowski on BC’s starting 4-man, Devin McGlockton (21), who is currently in the midst of a really nice season for Mark Byington at Vanderbilt. When Post screened for one of his guard teammates, Duke would switch the action: Mitchell, a strong perimeter defender, would switch out to the guard — on this possession, that’sJaeden Zackery (3), now at Clemson — and the 6-foot Roach would take the 7-foot Post.

The objective here is to stay out of rotation, keep the ball in front and avoid an open pick-and-pop look for Post. Duke accomplished that, limiting Post to only eight points — one of only four single-digit scoring games last season for Post — and only one 3-point attempt.

That said, the job isn’t done once Roach is switched to Post. With a significant size advantage, Post would head closer to the paint, which would spring Duke’s next rotation — a scram switch involving Filipowski. As Post cuts to the lane, Scheyer calls out the next switch from the sideline: Filipowski takes Post, matching size in the paint, while Roach continued out to McGlockton in the weak-side corner.

The Eagles work the ball around, changing sides of the floor, and create a post-up for Post. It’s not a very efficient post-up, though. Post settles for a fadeaway 2-point attempt against a good defender, which he airballs.

Here’s the a similar setup in the second half. Boston College runs “Zoom” action for Zackery on this baseline-under play: a down screen from McGlockton into a handoff with Post. Roach and Flip nail this scram switch on the fly; Mitchell takes Zackery and keeps the ball in front. No advantage is create. As BC tries to get some hi-lo action going between McGlockton and Post, Flip draws the offensive foul in the paint.

NC State used a similar approach when defending Post last season, too: cross-matching at the 4 and 5, placing Mohamed Diarra (23) on Post and scram switching behind the play with center DJ Burns (30).

For Duke, the inclusion of Roach in these action was notable, though. Duke, obviously, wanted to avoid having its smallest player defend Post once he was inside the arc. However, when the 6-foot-6 Tyrese Proctor or 6-foot-5 Caleb Foster switched onto Post, Scheyer was more comfortable letting his big guards battle down low against the 7-foot Dutchman — with Filipowski providing support as a help defender.

Foster takes Post on the switch during this first-half possession. Once again, Boston College is unable to create any advantage and things devolve into a panicked off-dribble heave late in the shot clock. Fosters does enough boxing out Post to keep him away from a put-back opportunity, too, as Sean Stewart flies in to collect the carom.

Roach is gone now. Sion James (6-6, 225) and Kon Knueppel (6-7, 217) are in. As a result, this Duke team is better suited to switching 1-5. Those guys have the size and strength to hang in the post against opposing 4s and 5s.

This would leave Maluach and Brown to defend in space against Blakes, but Scheyer has lived with those matchups against some of the other top guards in the country: Tahaad Pettiford, Chucky Hepburn, Jaland Lowe and Markus Burton.

If it wants to switch actions involving Raynaud, Duke could go the cross-matching route: place Flagg on Raynaud and Maluach/Brown on power forwards Young, Thompson or Cammann, most of whom are used as corner spacers. In theory, this would also allow Maluach to roam the floor as a back-line helper against cutters, or scram switch when Raynaud tries to take one of the guards into the post.

That may overcomplicate things, though. Duke’s proven it can switch 1-5 against good competition. Instead of cross-matching and scram switching, the Blue Devils could still switch 1-5 and just help in the post if/when Raynaud looks to set up shop inside of 15 feet. This could also be an opportunity to play lineups that include Flagg, Gillis and a center, which provide Duke with even more size and defensive versatility.

According to CBB Analytics, the Blue Devils are +106 in 168 minutes with Flagg and Gillis on the floor together, including a defensive rating of 82 points allowed per 100 possessions (100th percentile nationally). In 48 minutes with Gillis, Flagg and Brown on the floor together, which makes Duke very switchy, the Devils have allowed 79.2 points per 100 possessions.

Alternatively, Duke could opt to not switch and either play Maluach in drop coverage or closer to the level of the screen, asking him to help corral Blakes while also recovering out to a dangerous 3-point shooter.

During Scheyer’s first season as head coach, the Blue Devils brought one of the top defenses in the country into that year’s NCAA Tournament, anchored by the electric Dereck Lively. That Duke team found another gear defensively once Lively discovered his footing and Proctor took off at the point of attack. The 2022-23 Duke team was also huge — with Filipowski and Mitchell manning the forward spots.

The Proctor-Livley duo was put on the spot during the opening round matchup with Oral Roberts, which featured point guard Max Abmas (3) and 7-foot-3 center Connor Vanover (35), who attempted 135 3-pointers (32.6 3P%) that season. One of the things Duke did to contend with this pick-and-roll combo was switch some 1-5 actions with Lively and Proctor.

Oral Roberts was held to just 0.80 points per possession, its second least efficient game of that season. Abmas required 15 field goal attempts to get his 12 points. He also turned the ball over five times. It certainly helps to have a defensive 5 like Lively, who is so active and fluid in space; he can comfortably switch out one of the best off-dribble guard creators in the country.

The switch approach also cut down on Vanover’s airspace. He scored just six points on 2-of-8 shooting (1-of-6 3PA), including this miss against Dariq Whitehead’s switch.

At other times, though, Duke’s staff deployed Lively closer to the level of the screen and had him recover out on Vanover when he popped. Lively is such a special defender. With Roach stunting from weak side in the direction of Vanover, Lively does a beautiful job closing out under control and contesting without fouling.

That said, Vanover wasn’t the same dribble-pass threat as Raynaud, who is stronger and more advanced in terms of his skill set. Here, Lively is up at the level of the screen; as Vanover pops, Jacob Grandison aggressively digs in from the weak side, which opens up the cutter. Roach, however, gets in the way long enough to buy time for Lively to recover back and delete this shot at the rim.

Brown is exceptionally nimble and he has the speed to operate in this space. Maluach isn’t as quick as Brown, but he’s still incredibly mobile at his size and length. He can handle these responsibilities if needed, though he’ll need to make sure to closeout under control against Raynaud, who can pump fake and drive downhill, too.

French Post

Success for a half-court offense is heavily predicated on the team’s ability to create advantages: getting two defenders on the ball and playing off of the advantage. In the modern game, the go-to way for drumming up advantage is spread pick-and-roll action. However, the conventional post-up is another way to get two defenders on the ball.

Now, the post-up player must be talented enough to score 1-on-1, thus forcing the defense to send help or double team. When that happens, though, it can lead to some of the best shots in the half-court setting: cut finishes at the rim and kick-out 3-pointers. Flagg demonstrated this a few weeks ago when UNC came to Cameron. The Tar Heels elected to double Flagg in the post and he burned them as a passer on multiple occasions.

Similar to the quandary he puts defenses in when guarding the ball screen, Raynaud challenges opposing post coverages: to double, or not to double, that is the question.

When UNC hosted Stanford in January, the Heels tried some single coverage in the post against Raynaud. On this possession, Raynaud fakes a handoff and flows into empty-side two-man action with Sellers. As UNC again tries to pin the ball on the left side of the floor, Raynaud makes himself available in the middle. He takes the pass from Sellers, faces up against Jalen Washington (13) and pirouettes away from any potential help defenders digging down into the paint — finishing gracefully with his left hand on spinning finish.

Later in the first half, the Cardinal run hi-lo action for Raynaud. As soon as Raynaud receives the pass, Jae’Lyn Withers (24) is in his grill with a double team. Raynaud shows his feel here, spinning away from the double team and — while in midair — changing his passing target.

Instead of hitting Agarwal on the corner cut, which Davis challenges by digging down off of the wing, Raynaud throws a lollipop skip pass to Benny Gealer (5), who is open with Davis now on Agarwal. This pass probably reaches Gealer because Ian Jackson (11) takes a poor flight path, initially stepping toward the paint before retreating back to the wing. Regardless, UNC is now in rotation. Stanford pops the ball round the arc and eventually it works back to Agarwal for a corner 3.

During the two Wake Forest-Stanford matchups this season, Forbes has opted to aggressively double the post against Raynaud, which fits into Wake Forest’s more broad defensive approach. In an effort to amp up their pressure, the Demon Deacons put two on the ball this season.

When Raynaud has been patient with the ball and made the simple pass out, Stanford has been able to find some offense against the double teams: basket cuts and kick-outs. However, Raynaud is guilty of telegraphing some of his weak-side skip passes when he senses pressure, which allows help defenders to cause havoc in passing lanes.

Stanford runs more angled ball screen action with Raynaud. With a smaller and faster lineup on the floor, Spillers hedges and recovers back to Raynaud, who looks to lean on his size advantage in the post. Raynaud dribbles left as a 5-out set flows into an empty-side Barkley-style post-up for Raynaud. Juke Harris (2), a really promising young player for the Deacs, races over to double team and gets a piece of Raynaud’s skip pass, which lands in the hands of Sallis.

Wake Forest’s defense produced more of the same when the two teams met a month prior on the other side of the country. Raynaud turns this short-roll opportunity into another post-up — this time working against Reid. As Raynaud tries to back down, Spillers comes over on the double team. Raynaud thinks he has Blakes open in the weak-side corner; however, as Johnson rotates back to Blakes — after helping in the paint on Raynaud’s short roll drive — he’s able to intercept the skip pass.

5-out and Floppy

In two of Stanford's games without Blakes, the Cardinal were also missing Gealer, their backup point guard. As a result, during their matchups with Wake Forest and NC State, Stanford relied heavily on 5-out "Delay" action, with Raynaud initiating as a hub in the center of the floor.

Raynaud spent large portions of those games as the primary initiator as Stanford’s offense whirred around him with a series of back screens, flare screens, pindowns, split cuts and dribble-handoff (DHO) actions.

On this 5-out possession at the start of the game vs. NC State, Raynaud dribbles right and it looks like Stanford is set up to run inverted pick-and-roll with Young, the 4, screening for Raynaud, the point-center ball handler. Young slips the screen, though, and Raynaud flows right into a DHO with Sellers, who turns the corner and is fouled while driving to the rim.

Stanford will also run single-double “Floppy” action with Raynaud as the lead ball handler. This allows Sellers, one of the best off-ball movers and shooters in the ACC (40.8 3P%), to run around some down screens and look for his shot. This inverted Floppy action provides the double effect of allowing Raynaud to work as a spacer from atop the key, too. When Sellers curls into the paint and pulls in some defenders, he can kick out to a relocating Raynaud.

It’ll be interesting to see how Stanford continues to evolve its 5-out usage with Raynaud. The return of Blakes allows Stanford to get into some of its more traditional, base sets. However, the 5-out stuff with Raynaud organizing things is intriguing. It’s also what his usage could look like once he transitions to the NBA, where 5-out offense is the name of the game.

One of the few times this season when Duke’s defense has looked a little off-kilter came against Kentucky. Mark Pope has a lot of veteran, skilled perimeter players at this disposal this season, working to amplify his 5-out offense. It’s a lot to deal with: handling off-ball actions against talented shooters like Jaxson Robinson and Koby Brea (45.3 3P%) with 5-out spacing.

Duke tried to utilize a deep drop with Maluach on some possessions — as he sagged well off of Amari Williams (22), while Kentucky’s veteran center initiated the 5-out action.

Now, no defense would defend Raynaud’s 5-out initiation like this; he stick jumper after jumper in their eyes until the came out to guard him. That said: while Williams is unlikely to burn a defense with his jump shot (0-of-1 3PA this season), this approach comes with its own challenges, too. It’s not a cure-all.

When the guards launch into handoff actions with Williams, and Maluach is dropped deep into the paint, there’s no help defender on the other side of the screen. This puts a lot of pressure on the guard/chase defender — James in this case — to fight over the screen and stay with his man. That’s complicated by the offense launching re-screen actions, which force the defender to fight around multiple screens.

On this possession early in the game, Lamont Butler (56.9 2P%) sets a down screen for Robinson (38.1 3P%) on the right side of the floor. To start, Maluach sags off of Williams, though he’s much higher up the floor on this possession. Foster is initially on Butler (1), but he switches the screen to Robinson (2). Proctor begins on Robinson, but the switch — whether it’s supposed to be automatic or not — isn’t communicated properly. Two defenders chase Robinson.

Robinson’s curl pulls Proctor out above the arc, as Butler basket cuts into an open paint — with Maluach lifted out of the restricted area. The 6-foot-10 Williams (23.7 percent assist rate) picks out Butler on the cut.

These types of breakdowns happened down the stretch for Duke, too.

With under three minutes to play and the game knotted at 67, Andrew Carr (7) initiates 5-out action. On the right side of the floor, it looks like Otega Oweh (00) will set the down screen for Butler, coming out of the right corner. Instead, Oweh slips the screen while both Proctor and Knueppel go with Butler. While defending the opposing center near the 3-point arc, Maluach is lifted out of the paint — same as Flagg who is on Robinson. The basket is open and Carr finds an open Oweh for a layup.

After the loss, there was plenty of chatter about Duke’s end-of-game offense, which, fine. However, the bigger concerns in this game, in my opinion, were the transition defense and half-court issues against Kentucky’s 5-out.

When Duke hosted Notre Dame last month, the Irish found some luck with different 5-out sets and inverted actions, scoring 1.21 points per possession — one of three games this season when the Blue Devils have allowed 1.20 points per possession.

Brown missed the vast majority of the Notre Dame game due to injury, and he played just 17 minutes against Kentucky, though he recorded two steals and a block. He’s very disruptive at the point of attack when defending opposing centers in 5-out looks, which is something for Stanford and Raynaud to be mindful of.

While Stanford may not have the same wing firepower as Kentucky, it's worth keeping an eye on how Duke's defense handles 5-out offense in the final stretch of this run, particularly as the postseason starts to come into focus.