After a dominant college career, rookie Darius Acuff Jr. arrives in Sacramento as a high-volume playmaker ready to ignite the Kings' offense alongside star center Domantas Sabonis.
Rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. highlighted a rather quiet offseason for the Sacramento Kings, as the front office got their guy on draft night.
Throughout the pre-draft process, it became more apparent that Acuff was General Manager Scott Perry's top choice at the No. 7 overall pick, with the front office raving about his potential and scoring ability.
Acuff and his camp eventually came out and said that Sacramento was the reigning SEC Player of the Year's preferred landing spot as well, with everything falling into place in the lottery.
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.
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."
In the California Classic and Las Vegas portion, Acuff averaged 19 points, 5.3 assists, and one steal, conveying these beliefs from his front office.
However, Acuff's shooting splits were not strong, as he shot just 36.5% from the field, 26.3% from deep, and 64.3% from the free-throw line.
Some of this can be attributed to the way Acuff was being covered, as most teams opted to blitz him, forcing the ball out of his hands and making it difficult for the lottery pick to get to his spots.
Acuff's best scoring performance was in his first game of his professional career, as he dropped 25 against the Brooklyn Nets in the California Classic.
However, efficiency was once again a struggle, as the former Razorback made just 9-of-29 attempts.
Passing was more of a consistent positive for Acuff, who frequently delivered on-the-money dishes to his teammates.
"Acuff looks the part of a lead creator," ESPN's Zach Kram wrote. "As he threaded several nifty passes through traffic in Vegas, I grew excited to watch him partner with Domantas Sabonis in pick-and-rolls and handoffs this season."
Acuff and Sabonis are certainly an exciting prospect on the offensive end, as both players can do it all scoring-wise and are great passers for their positions.
For a Kings backcourt in desperate need of shot creation and playmaking, Acuff provides both, taking over games last season for the Razorbacks.
After a 28-point, 13-assist performance against the Longhorns, Acuff received high praise from Texas head coach Sean Miller.
"In my time -- and I'll just go 34 years -- I've never seen a point guard better," Miller said. "People talk about who's going to be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft or who's the best player in the conference. ... This No. 1 pick thing, I don't know why people aren't talking about him more. I can't imagine anybody better."
Acuff's confidence in himself and ability to lead this Kings team will dictate how the front office goes about this season, but one thing is for sure - the front office feels they have found their guy.
