Darius Acuff did one of the hardest things for an NBA rookie to do and started his first game as a point guard. It was a risky move for the Sacramento Kings, but Acuff absolutely delivered. After seeing how he played last night with this team, there's no doubt he's the future of the franchise.
Point guard has been bit of a sticky wicket for the Kings in recent years. At one point, they had De'Aaron Fox as their primary with Tyrese Haliburton as the secondary. Then, they remembered that they are the Kings, and made the obvious choice to get rid of both of them.
Their solution was to bring in Dennis Schroder, who is a FIBA god but is just slightly better than average in the NBA. Shockingly, that didn't work out and the Kings traded him at the 2026 deadline to the Cavaliers. In case you're wondering, the Cavs have already traded him to the Hornets.
Russell Westbrook saved the Kings from a total collapse in 2025-2026 by stepping in as their starting point guard and playing some really good basketball. But you can't plan your rebuild around a player on the verge of retirement, which is exactly what Brodie did. That's where Acuff comes in.
Acuff is the real deal for the Kings
Sacramento drafted him seventh overall with the intention of developing him into their starting point guard. Some people, such as me, were a little concerned about Acuff being tossed into the deep end with no backup or mentor. The Kings have mitigated those issues during the offseason.
In his first outing as the Kings' starting PG, Acuff had to take on Luka Doncic. If that's not the definition of diving into the deep end, I don't know what is. But Acuff delivered, finishing with 19 points, two rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. That is a solid start.
The rookie played like he wanted all the smoke, and showed his hometown crowd what he's bringing to the court. He was by no means perfect. Acuff only shot 47.1% from the field on eight of 17. He also collected two personal fouls and committed five turnovers. There's room for improvement, to be sure.
That will all come with time, experience, and confidence. The Kings may have lost to the Lakers, but Acuff set the tone for his career in Sacramento. He's going to move fast, shoot quickly, and try to put his opponent on their heels. As he gets acclimated to the NBA, that's exactly what he'll do.
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