Darius Acuff Jr. is a popular pick for the Dallas Mavericks near the middle of the lottery.
Of course, no true NBA mock draft is possible before the May 10 lottery that determines the order, but when measuring the potential prospects for where a team sits in the pre-lottery standings can create a sense of a handful of potential targets.
Among those for the Dallas Mavericks, who have the eighth-best draft odds entering the lottery, is Arkansas freshman Darius Acuff Jr.
The SEC Player of the Year and one of the countries best scorers just announced that he's officially declared for the NBA Draft after a stellar one-and-done season under head coach John Calipari.
The legendary former Kentucky coach has made a habit of pipelining premium guard talent into the Association, and, now in Year 2 in Fayetteville, Calipari believes Acuff can be one of his best yet.
He's a prospect the Mavs would be sorry not to check out ... no matter where they may fall within the top 10.
Acuff was the seventh-leading scorer in Division I with a 23.5 points per game average on better than 48 percent shooting to go with 6.4 assists per game.
The 6-3 freshman from Detroit also made a living from behind the arc, nailing 44 percent of his 3-point looks on over five attempts a night.
That, in particular, is an area the Mavs are desperate to improve, as mentioned by head coach Jason Kidd in last week's exit interviews.
"Some of the qualities, are you going to look at shooting," Kidd said. "Can we shoot the ball better? Not just from three, but from the free throw line."
Although Dallas will get a boost in guard play with Kyrie Irving returning, his age doesn't fully line up with the franchise's more focused timeline that centers on 19-year-old star Cooper Flagg.
That makes a player like Acuff, or whoever Dallas picks with its first-round selection, a significant piece in shaping the future of the roster.
With Irving returning to his regular scoring output following his ACL tear, Acuff would ease into his role as a rookie, but the vision of him at the controls alongside Flagg is plenty enough to get the Mavs excited about the team's offensive potential.
Acuff will need to improve defensively, but he can be covered by the skills of Flagg, P.J. Washington and Naji Marshall as returners who are strong on that side.
And speaking of teaming up with Irving, Acuff will have a direct model to build his game after to streamline the transition to a new lead guard in Dallas. There are already comparisons between the two players.
"I’m willing to say it, I don’t know if anyone else has planted their flag on this, he’s starting to look a little Kyrie-ish to me," said NBA analyst and podcaster Bill Simmons. "I know that’s sacrilege. Kyrie is one of one. One of the most skilled guards we’ve ever had. Ambidextrous, incredible finisher, just like a guy you would create in a lab.
"There’s stuff Acuff does that just makes me think of Kyrie as I’m watching him."
If the Mavs are in position, they could land the talented guard and see that vision come to life even more.
