Like any rookie, the Sacramento Kings' Darius Acuff Jr. is drawing a lot of criticism. A big area of focus has been his defense, which isn't great. At the same time, Acuff is by no means the worst defender on the Kings' roster and has more than shown that he has both the ability and desire to improve.
The Kings are a team in the midst of a rebuild that's hamstringed by money problems and players who are borderline impossible to trade. As such, the draft has been incredibly important to this process. Say what you want about general manager Scott Perry, but the guy knows how to work a draft.
In 2026, Sacramento had the seventh pick overall with the goal of getting a rookie point guard to develop. Perry locked in on Acuff and made it happen. He is a high-energy, shoot-first guard who can run the court and make efficient passes. That's why the Kings were looking at him for their roster.
So far, Acuff has been a little hot and cold, which is to be expected. He's a 19-year-old rookie trying to get up to NBA speed. It will take time for him to get there, but he will. The bigger concern has to be his defensive presence, as it's not his strong suit. But there's more to this issue than one rookie.
This isn't just an Acuff concern at all
Sacramento has been putting out a starting five that includes Acuff alongside Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, Precious Achiuwa, and De'Andre Hunter. Out of those five players, the only two who are considered to be good defenders are Achiuwa and Hunter. The other three are basically pylons.
There are more than a few fans who have stated that Acuff is the worst defender on the team. That's not true at all. He's not even the worst defender on the Kings' starting line. Honestly, it's probably a tie between Sabonis and LaVine. Having a center that weak on defense is a huge problem for the Kings.
In Acuff's case, there's at least a chance he will get better. Again, he is a 19-year-old rookie who is a handful of games into his career. He has plenty of time to put in the work and improve his individual defensive skills. For that to mean anything, the Kings have to develop some kind of team defense.
This isn't about Acuff being good or bad at something. Even if he were the greatest defender in the history of basketball, he wouldn't be able to save the Kings from themselves. For Acuff to improve on defense, the whole team has to improve as a unit. That's the real work that needs to be done.
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