The son of the perennial NBA All-Star opted to stay at USC, which can alter Sacramento's plans here.
The Sacramento Kings' NBA draft board continues to grow ahead of the May 10 lottery pickings.
Fans are clamoring for AJ Dybantsa of BYU landing with the Kings. Cameron Boozer of Duke, Darius Acuff of Arkansas and Darryn Peterson of Kansas all are mentioned as additional Kings possibilities depending on where they land.
Alijah Arenas, meanwhile, walked into this 2026 class hearing his own pro potential. Now the son of Gilbert Arenas pulled this bold move Tuesday: He's pivoting back to USC.
Arenas withdrew his name officially from the NBA draft waters and instead will come back for his sophomore season in downtown Los Angeles.
The prized freshman displayed the stardom that made him a coveted five-star talent out of Chatsworth High in the L.A. region late in the season for the Trojans. USC head coach Eric Musselman instantly started Arenas when he got healthy enough to play, starting 13 of the final 14 games and dropping 14.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game.
But his college hoops journey started with a serious car accident that left him in an induced coma. Arenas crashed a Tesla Cybertruck at 4:55 a.m. PT before the season began. He got cleared to practice in July but needed to miss 18 games due injuries from that accident.
So how does Arenas' decision impacts the Kings here? Arenas happened to be a second round projection to the Kings at No. 45 overall, according to Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor.
"Arenas would be better served returning to school to improve his draft stock. But staying in California to hone his scoring talents at the professional level could have appeal too," O'Connor wrote before Arenas made his decision.
This Arenas showed more quickness on the floor and presents physical tools that are translatable to the NBA. He's a three-level scorer who beats defenses with a jumper and playing above the rim, just like his dad.
He’s brings a smooth mid range game too, using a change of pace style plus hits defenders with a variety of moves to shake free for his jumper.
But Arenas started earning a second round grade due to his limited play during his freshman season. Now Sacramento can potentially await him for the 2027 NBA draft class should he enter that one.
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