Kings Rookie PG Acuff Joins LeBron James in NBA Record Books

Darius Acuff Jr. was by far the best player on the court in the Sacramento Kings' 132-120 loss against the New Orleans Pelicans, posting the best showing of his young NBA career.

Leading all players in scoring, Acuff poured in 34 points, while adding 14 assists, six rebounds, and a steal.

The former Arkansas standout was efficient as well, making 50% of his shot attempts and all five of his free throws.

Acuff got off to a hot start, scoring 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting in the first hald.

Adding six first-half dimes, Acuff joins Philadelphia 76ers forward LeBron James as the only two teenagers in NBA history to post a half of 20 or more points, five or more assists, and 70% or better shooting from the field.

Throughout the game, Acuff showed the ability to score from all three levels, while finding his teammates for open looks on the perimeter.

Getting shots up had not been an issue for Acuff entering Thursday night's game, but his lack of playmaking and assist numbers had been a bit of a concern.

With 14 assists and countless sound reads, those qualms have been put to bed.

As the season progresses, Acuff's shooting splits are only set to rise, but his continued focus on improvement and finding ways to win is very promising.

Following Acuff's first 30-point outburst, he talked about how it didn't matter that he had a good statistical day, saying that there's nothing more he wants to do than win.

As the Kings advance through the season, Acuff will need to find more ways to impact winning outside of his offense, but having him showing these flashes early on is promising.

One area where Acuff really struggled on Thursday was off-ball defense, as the young guard put himself in foul trouble with slow rotations, giving the Pelicans to many 3-point opportunities.

After picking up just two fouls in the first half, Acuff added a quick two whistles in the second half, and was forced to sub out before the 10-minute mark of the third quarter.

Of course, this didn't stop him from having an incredible offensive night, but it did allow New Orleans to grow a double-digit lead.

Sitting at 0-5, the Kings will remain on the road to take on the Memphis Grizzlies, who are still unbeaten.

In these two teams' first matchup, Memphis escaped with a 123-112 victory, being led by Ty Jerome's 31 points.

The Kings look to exact revenge on Halloween night at 8:00 p.m.