After losing to the Orlando Magic, the Sacramento Kings have dropped to a record of one and 10, which is dismal. That stress has reached rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr., who expressed his frustrations freely in his post-game media time. It's hard to blame him, since it's not getting better.
The Kings drafted Acuff back in June to be their new point guard. They had been having a lot of problems filling the gap left behind by the departure of De'Aaron Fox. Sacramento's money issues didn't help their situation either. All they could afford was a rookie contract or a veteran minimum.
Scott Perry locked in on Acuff because he's a high-octane scorer who can lead an offense. That has certainly proved to be true, as he is leading rookies in points scored and assists. He's currently averaging 26.2 points per game, which actually makes him the ninth-best scorer in the league.
Unfortunately, Acuff's personal performance is not enough to overcome the fact that the Kings have terrible coaching and management. They have a solid roster to work with, yet are incapable of doing anything with it. And that reality is already starting to wear on Acuff 11 games into his career.
Acuff's concerns are likely representative of the whole team
When the game was over, members of the Kings participated in the usual press availability. That included Acuff, who looked incredibly frustrated, if not even a little depressed. His comments about the loss to the Magic and the season so far definitely reflected those sentiments.
"I don't know what to do man, I feel like we're trying. Everybody as a whole, we're just not coming out with the win. I don't know man, 1-10 just don't sound right."Darius Acuff Jr.
It's hard to blame Acuff, who is not used to losing this badly. Being that he is supposed to be a foundational part of the rebuild, this is not the kind of mentality the Kings are looking for. But it's on them for creating an environment that builds a negative vibe. Even worse, it's likely not just Acuff.
Domantas Sabonis is reputedly frustrated enough that he's asking for a trade. Zach LaVine and De'Andre Hunter are probably counting down the days until their contracts are up and they can move on. A number of rookies and sophomores are likely wondering what their futures look like.
The rather sudden trade of Nique Clifford hasn't helped at all. Everyone on the roster has to be feeling really uneasy about this whole situation. It's time for Sacramento to make real moves if they want to salvage this season. Frankly, even getting Acuff back on board would be a minor miracle.
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