Dallas could eye Arkansas phenom Darius Acuff Jr. as their next draft-day gem, potentially filling the future point guard void.
After trading away Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers last season, the Dallas Mavericks got the new face of their franchise through the 2025 NBA Draft that followed a few months later.
And with the team struggling like it is right now, they could be posted to get a fairly decent pick in this year's draft.
That could give them the opportunity to continue building their ideal team of the future around Cooper Flagg.
In a recent mock draft by USA Today's Bryan Kalbrosky, he has the Dallas Mavericks picking in the top 10. And with their No. 9 pick he has then projected with, he thinks that drafting Arkansas superstar freshman Darius Acuff Jr. could be a solid pick.
"The Mavericks should feel excited about Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff Jr., who is sensational at creating a basket for himself and has become a fantastic playmaker for head coach John Calipari," Kalbrosky writes. "He looks like one of the most promising lead guards in the 2026 NBA Draft, already thriving as a ball handler when operating in pick-and-roll for the Razorbacks. While he is a bit undersized, Acuff Jr. has now scored at least 15 points in 15 consecutive games for Arkansas."
The Mavericks currently have Kyrie Irving at their point guard spot when he is healthy, but he is soon to be 34 years old. So getting a guy who could be the point guard of the future and sit under Kyrie for a year or two could be in the team's best interests.
And Acuff could very well be that guy.
The 19-year-old Arkansas star is currently averaging 20.3 points per game, which places him fourth in the SEC. And he is also passing the ball extremely well with 6.2 assists per game, placing him second in the conference.
He is also doing all of this in some pretty impressive shooting percentages. Acuff is shooting 49 percent from the field and just under 41 percent from three, which os obviously going to be attractive to any NBA team.
Acuff will be the latest in a long line of great college guards coached by John Calipari that includes guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker, and even Derrick Rose. When in doubt, draft the guard that was coached by Cal.
If Dallas has a chance to in the upcoming draft, they could decide to do just that.