After losing to the Pelicans, the Sacramento Kings have fallen to a record of zero and five. It was hard to watch, but a huge positive was Darius Acuff Jr. He picked up his first double-double of points and assists. The best part was the assists, as that is what the Kings need from their rookie point guard.
Sacramento is five games into the 2026-2027 regular season, and things aren't going well. They've lost several players to injury, have yet to win a game, and cannot seem to get into a rhythm. Anyone looking for improvement from the Kings this season is likely not enjoying this little run.
On the upside, Acuff has had a solid start overall. He's averaging 24 points a game and has two 30+ point outings this season. In addition to that, his field goal percentage has been steadily increasing. In game one, he shot 20.8%. In game five against the Pels, he shot an even 50.0%.
What's good to see is that Acuff is acclimating to the NBA relatively quickly, particularly in his shooting. At the same time, being a point guard is about more than calling your own number. Sacramento needs someone to facilitate an offense that doesn't lean on Domantas Sabonis.
Acuff finds his teammates
The big thing for Acuff has been learning that he doesn't have to do everything himself. Slowly, he's been moving the ball around more and finding his teammates on the court. His assist numbers have been climbing, and during the loss to the Pelicans, he found the next level in that regard.
In addition to his 34 points, Acuff also collected 14 assists, which completed the first double-double of his NBA career. More importantly, Acuff became the offensive hub for the team. This is what the Kings need from him in the long term, a guy who can score and get the rest of the team involved.
It will be interesting to see how Acuff puts that to work when he has someone like Dylan Cardwell at center. He feasts on lobs, which Acuff can dish out. And Cardwell is a high-caliber offensive rebounder, which will in turn feed Acuff's shooting. There's a great dynamic to be built there.
An Acuff who runs the show by calling his own number and setting up his teammates for success is what the Kings wanted when they drafted him. If he continues progressing in this direction and at this rate, he will be the cornerstone of the rebuild Sacramento needs him to be.
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