John Calipari's NBA reputation is so solid that pro teams aren't going to pass on Darius Acuff
Darius Acuff has his strengths and weaknesses as an NBA draft prospect. What's the biggest reason he won't fall on draft night and will become a top-five pick? Is it his offense? Is it his willingness to share the ball and not score if the defense is trying to take away his shot? Is it his ability to make 3-pointers? Is it his ability to get to the free throw line? Is it his stamina and a proven track record of playing major extended minutes? It might be something other than all of those valid reasons.
John Calipari could himself be the reason Darius Acuff does not slide down the draft board out of the top five, maybe the top six at worst. NBA draft analyst Latif Love explains:
"It’s a well-known fact that head coach John Calipari is the best collegiate coach in the country (and maybe ever) at finding and developing guard talent for NBA success. Shai Gilegeous-Alexander, Derrick Rose, John Wall, Tyrese Maxey, Devin Booker, and De’Aaron Fox are just a few of the names that have learned under the tutelage of coach Cal.
In short, there aren’t many better wagers in life than betting on a Calipari guard to earn multiple contracts in the NBA, and his best one, since Wall, from a blanket production standpoint, has been one of, if not the best, point guards in the country this season. That point guard is Darius Acuff, who, despite leading the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in both scoring and assists as a freshman, has become the most polarizing prospect in the class.
"His proponents, mostly passionate Arkansas fans, say he’s the next coming of Stephon Marbury, destined to be an offensive superstar in a game that has begun to move away from smaller point guards. In contrast, his skeptics say he’s more akin to Michigan’s Trey Burke, who, despite having a legendary career at Michigan, couldn’t find nearly the same success in the NBA."
The debate about Darius Acuff contains its polarizing elements. There is a possibility that teams will shy away from Acuff because of what they see as huge defensive liabilities which can't be coached up sufficiently. NBA teams will worry that the effort involved in coaching Acuff's defense will create a developmental headache which is not worth the value he brings at the offensive end of the floor. NBA teams could perceive other top prospects as being safer.
In the end, however, John Calipari's reputation of developing so many NBA-quality point guards will be hard for a lot of NBA teams to overlook.