The Darius Acuff Jr. show has officially made it to the NBA — Summer League, that is.
The NBA Summer League kicked off this weekend, and of all the players to participate so far, arguably none had more eyes on them than the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. However, while Acuff showed flashes of his incredible offensive potential, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the Arkansas Razorbacks' former point guard, who battled through an ice-cold start before helping Sacramento secure a win.
Darius Acuff Jr. scores 25 after cold start in first Summer League game
The Sacramento Kings' Summer League opener against the Brooklyn Nets gave Arkansas basketball fans their first chance to see Darius Acuff Jr. suit up in the pros, and in the end, the Kings came out victorious 79-76 thanks to a clutch three-pointer by Nique Clifford (assisted by Acuff) in the closing seconds.
That said, while the Kings did come out on top, Acuff's performance was a bit of mixed bag.
The stoic young guard started his first NBA Summer League game 1-for-10 from the field, seemingly struggling with the length and size of his competition on his drives to the paint. Acuff's three-point shot didn't fare much better, with him going 1-for-9 from distance across all four quarters of play.
Thankfully, Sacramento's PG seemed to settle into the game, going 8-for-19 from the field after his cold start (9-for-29 for the game) and adding a few highlight-reel assists by the time the buzzer sounded.
5ive showed out for his first performance in Sacramento 👑
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 5, 2026
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California Classic presented by @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/j3qfMU5f7V
Darius Acuff Jr. ended his night with 25 points, four assists, one rebound, and one steal -- a solid stat line for a player who started out ice cold from the field. His defensive performance also bodes well for his future, as the rookie held his own and forced a pair of turnovers while guarding ballhandlers, even if he did ultimately blow a few assignments.
Considering Acuff is still only 19 years old, the Sacramento Kings have to be ecstatic with his first performance. Their PG of the future was comfortable as the primary ballhandler and performed well in the pick-and-roll, and if he can hit his open three-point shots, then his potential as an off-ball scorer should still be there as well.
Acuff's inefficiency was impossible to ignore, but one quarter of play isn't reason to sound the alarm bells. Plenty of smaller young guards struggle early against NBA-level length and physicality, and by the end of the contest, Arkansas' former point guard looked completely comfortable in the driver's seat. He kept attacking, kept getting to his spots, and ultimately managed to impact the game as a passer when his shot wasn't falling.
Now, all eyes will be on Acuff's next Summer League performance to see whether the point guard's early struggles were a fluke or if the Sacramento Kings' newest addition is capable of being his team's offensive centerpiece in 2026.
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