Taking a look at the player profile for Sacramento Kings rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr.
The Sacramento Kings head into the 2026 season with several promising young players, but in particular, rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. is a player who could have a key impact on this team in 2026.
With that said, let's take a look at where Acuff went to college, when he was drafted by the Kings, and what he could bring to this team in 2026.
Starting with Acuff's college career, he played for the Arkansas Razorbacks and head coach John Callipari for the 2025 season as he played just one season at the collegiate level.
Despite only playing one season in college, Acuff was very impressive and proved to be one of the best players in the entire country, especially on the offensive end.
In 2025, Acuff recorded 23.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 0.3 blocks, and 0.8 steals per game. With Arkansas, Acuff really shone on the offensive side with his consistency as a scorer as well as a playmaker.
Talking about Acuff's scoring ability, his averaged of 23.5 points per game actually ranked him third in the country which was very impressive and showed his ability to be a great scorer.
Looking at the efficiency Acuff scored with, he was great on that front as well as he shot 48.4 percent from the field, 44 percent from beyond the arc, and 80.9 percent from the free-throw line. Based on Acuff's shooting splits, it is clear that he has the ability to score at all three levels very effectievly.
In terms of a weakness, Acuff's biggest weakness is his perimeter defense and the struggles he had staying in front of opposing guards. This was something that was clear leading up top the draft, and it will be interesting to see how he progresses on that front.
On that note, following the 2025 college season, Acuff declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, and in that draft, he was selected by the Sacramento Kings in the first round with the No. 7 overall pick.
When it comes to Acuff's fit on the Kings, he should slide into the lineup pretty well, as this team is building for the future and does need a young guard to help lead the way, and with Acuff's ability to score and playmake, it appears he does fit that mold.
Heading into 2026, it appears that Acuff will be the starting point guard, so it will be interesting to see how much head coach Doug Christie puts on Acuff's plate when it comes to organizing and running the offense.
While Acuff was great in college, he does have to make the transition from college to the NBA, which is not easy to do and can be very difficult for a lot of college players. However, Acuff does have the benefit of learning from solid veteran players like guard Zach LaVine, center Domantas Sabonis, guard Malik Monk, and forward DeAndre Hunter.
As far as what Acuff brings to the Kings, he is a player who can provide scoring at all levels and solid playmaking, but he does need to improve his perimeter defense, otherwise, opposing guards and teams will take advantage.
So, during Acuff's rookie season, it will be interesting to see how he adjusts to the NBA, what kind of role he has on offense, and if he can improve his defense, and depending on how these three things work out, that will determine the type of rookie year Acuff has.
