Sacramento Kings rookie point guard Darius Acuff has a path to becoming the Rookie of the Year. But, he will need his teammates to support his efforts and win more games than last season.
Heading into the upcoming season, the Sacramento Kings are putting a lot of weight on rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr.'s shoulders, handing him the keys to the offense as the team continues to rebuild.
On Wednesday, a group of ESPN NBA Insiders predicted the players who will win each major award this season, with Acuff being ranked the fifth most-likely player to win Rookie of the Year.
While a majority of the votes were spread out between the top-4 picks, with Memphis Grizzlies forward Cameron Boozer leading the pack, Acuff was the only player listed taken beyond pick No. 4.
Last week, the same group listed Acuff as one of the biggest steals of the draft, showing the belief that most media analysts and outlets have in the Kings' rookie.
Heading into the draft, the top-4 picks were pretty cemented, with Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr., and Acuff being seen as the next group of guards to be picked from.
Of course, Acuff ended up going behind Wagler and Brown, but landed with the franchise who showed the most trust and belief that he was their guy.
Since that time, Acuff participated in the 2026 NBA Summer League, where he showed flashes of what made him so special during his time at Arkansas.
Despite inefficiencies, Acuff averaged 19 points, 5.3 assists, and one steal, while delivering on-point passes to his teammates.
Acuff's scoring ability is what jumps off the charts, but people forget that the former Razorback also led the conference in assists per game, becoming the first player to lead the conference in scoring and assists since 1991–1992.
Spotrac's Keith Smith spent 11 days in Las Vegas for the Summer League gathering intel on some of the teams in attendance, and noted some of the biggest stories about Sacramento - one being the confidence the Kings' brass has in their top selection.
"Beyond excited doesn’t even begin to convey how we feel about Darius. He’s out to prove everyone wrong who passed on him. We’re the ones who will benefit from that," a Kings front office executive said. "Beyond that stuff, Darius is an outstanding scorer and playmaker. He’s already taking on a leadership role. He’s a true franchise guy that we can build around."
Sacramento's offense will run through Acuff, and he has plenty of talent on the wings and inside to work with.
With offensive talents like Zach LaVine and Domantas Sabonis next to the Kings' lead guard, opposing defenses will have to pick their poison.
If the Kings can win enough games to support Acuff's case, his numbers should be on par with the rest of his class and put him in position to compete for the award.
