One Southeastern Conference star is rising up the NBA Draft boards. Should Sacramento consider Darius Acuff of Arkansas?
The Sacramento Kings are less than a month away from fully learning their NBA Draft spot.
Despite not clinching the league's worst record, the lottery system could still favor the Kings and land at No. 1 overall.
As Kings and Nets Roundtable have charted in the past few days, names like Keaton Wagler of Illinois and Kingston Flemings of Houston are potential ideas. Darryn Peterson of Kansas is one more, although he's considered a polarizing talent and there's no telling if he will enter the draft class.
There are late round possibilities too here, a la St. John's star Zuby Ejiofor and Duke's Isaiah Evans.
But we're still thinking about the possible top five talents here. Which leads us into finding out if Darius Acuff of Arkansas is a fit for the Kings.
Offense Initiator
Acuff benefitted from this aspect of playing for head coach John Calipari: Coach Cal handing the power over to his point guard.
Acuff established himself as the offensive initiator.
The Razorbacks' dribble drive motion offense can't flow without a strong point guard. Acuff handled the role with a strong sense of seriousness.
He delivered the dribble handles that allowed him to play with control. He then showed a strong vision for allowing plays to develop before deciding to attack. Acuff then executed pick-and-roll plays with ease.
High-Powered Shooter
Once again we dip into the power he received at Fayetteville.
Think of the point guard as the quarterback running an RPO (run pass option) offense: He's going to know when to pass it or take it in himself if he sees an opening. The man with the ball first in the RPO holds the key to igniting the offense.
Acuff pulled off the basketball version of that. His agility and speed allowed him to create open looks or one-on-one shooting opportunities. Acuff showed a strong quick release with his shooting once he saw the opportunity unfold. He's even his own shot creator:
Big-Game Performer
NBA front offices and coaches often look deeper at level of competition and performances there when evaluating prospects.
Acuff will get eyes growing big once scouts see his production against superior foes.
Despite the blowout loss to Arizona, Acuff dropped 28 on the Wildcats. He poured 30 on SEC rival Vanderbilt during the conference tournament. Acuff lit up another March Madness SEC team in Alabama with 49 points. He also scored 29 on Elite Eight representative Tennessee.
Scoring at will on the big stage is no problem for Acuff.
Can Acuff Fit Kings?
Russell Westbrook sounds open for a Kings return. That's great for locker room leadership purposes.
But he needs an eventual successor if he does come back.
Acuff rises as the best PG available especially as a scorer. He comes off as a "Westbrook" type anyway as a scorer and passer. He'd rise as a strong No. 3 option if the Kings fall into that selection.
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