Kings brass are captivated by Darius Acuff's scoring explosion, turning initial interest into full-blown fandom. He's a top draft target.
Plenty of tanking NBA franchises, including the Sacramento Kings, have been asking the same question since the University of Arkansas punched their ticket to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night. -- Will Darius Acuff be the best available guard not named Darryn Peterson in the 2026 NBA Draft?
Acuff exploded for 36 points and 6 assists to propel the Razorbacks past the High Point University Panthers in the second round of the NCAA tournament, continuing a stretch of otherworldly offensive play.
He's averaged 30.2 points, 7.2 assists and 1.2 steals on absurd 45.6/48.6/87.0 shooting splits through his first 5 career postseason games. Each stellar performance has contributed to his rapidly rising draft stock and drawn attention from several members of the Kings' front office, according to Sactown Sports 1140's Matt George.
During a recent radio show appearance, George revealed that a few Kings representatives have taken a liking to Acuff that has evolved into fandom.
"...I did some digging, asked some questions and got a pretty definitive response that the Sacramento Kings are really big fans of Darius Acuff," George shared with Matt & Kayla co-host Kayla Anderson.
"If they were to fall to that (pick) 5, 6, 7 range, I'm told they are very, very keen on the idea of Darius Acuff here in Sacramento. He's got a lot of supporters within the Kings' front office, or at least a lot of interest."
Though the Kings would have a tough decision to make between Acuff and University of Houston guard Kingston Flemings if they were to fall out of the top-5, the former's recent surge might have created a gap between the two.
Flemings is a more respected two-way talent at the point guard position, but Acuff's scoring talent is flat-out undeniable at this stage in the tournament.
The 6-foot-3 guard can get to the basket at will and also knock down his three-point tries at a blistering 44.6% clip. Add in his proven clutch gene, and a top-5 selection in this summer's draft is well within reach.
For Sacramento, an Acuff addition would mark the introduction of the franchise's most dynamic scoring and play-making threat since De'Aaron Fox was selected No. 5 overall in 2017.
Acuff has proven himself as a leader and on-ball talent capable of willing his team to victory single-handedly.
Now that he's gained some favor within the Kings' organization, he'll surely have a few fans vouching for his selection in the coming months.
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