Kings’ Rookie Acuff Jr. Gets Advice From Warriors’ Green

Draymond Green dropped some wisdom on rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. in the Sacramento Kings' six-point loss to the Golden State Warriors last Saturday.

Green spoke to Acuff at the scorers' table in the second quarter before subbing in the game. He asked the rookie, "Who else touched the ball on that possession?" and Acuff responded that nobody did.

The 36-year-old then encouraged him to get his teammates involved. Acuff is a gifted scorer and can easily create shots for himself, but Green warned him about the quiet jealousy that could brew.

"You can get guys start plotting against you," Green said on Tuesday's episode of the "Draymond Green Show." "Guys that don't really wanna see you do well, guys that start bickering on the side to other guys."

That's realistic advice from the 15-year veteran. Sacramento has several veterans on the roster who have been on the team for multiple seasons.

Malik Monk, Keegan Murray and Domantas Sabonis are the longest-tenured players since the 2022-23 season. Those three are crucial to the Kings' success this season, especially on offense.

Acuff is used to being the No. 1 option. He was the best player on IMG Academy in high school and at Arkansas in college.

He'll have to mesh with older, more experienced NBA players. That's where Green's advice comes in, and it is very valuable for the rookie.

The 19-year-old has already formed a strong partnership with Sabonis this preseason. Their pick-and-roll game looked natural in their preseason opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.

Acuff blew past Laker defenders with a quick first step, using Sabonis' screen to create separation for his mid-range jump shots. Their two-man game created instant offense, and Acuff almost always had a wide-open mid-range jumper.

He even found his veteran rolling hard to the rim for an early dunk. Chemistry forming early in the preseason is a promising sign for the Kings.

LaVine is another veteran he'll have to mesh with, but it may be a bit difficult. They're both offensive-minded players who can score at all three levels.

One will have to sacrifice, and it could be the 31-year-old, who has looked promising on defense. He's recorded seven steals in three preseason games: three against the Lakers and four against the Warriors.

Acuff has a bright future ahead as Sacramento's franchise point guard. The journey starts now, and he's already learning from veterans across the league, like Green and more will teach him in the future.