The mock drafts have been consistently calling it, and the Sacramento Kings just made it a reality by selecting Darius Acuff Jr. seventh overall. There were no surprises with this one, as the Kings need a new point guard as part of their rebuild, and they have him in the former Arizona Razorback.
As the new general manager for the Kings, Scott Perry's first big job was the 2025 NBA Draft. Sacramento was in a really tough place and needed something to go their way. Perry did that across the board with every move he made related to the draft. It was the start of the rebuild.
The first round saw the Kings take Nique Clifford, who grew by leaps and bounds through his first season. Round two brought Maxime Raynaud, the French center who became one of the league's top rookies. Then, Perry signed the undrafted Dylan Cardwell, who is the heart and soul of the team.
But for the Kings to continue to push this rebuild process forward, that momentum had to continue through the 2026 NBA Draft. One of the biggest needs the Kings have is a new point guard they can develop alongside their sophomore core from last year's draft. It looks like they have that guy.
Acuff is on his way to Sacramento
While there is always some variation, most mock drafts projected the Kings selecting Acuff. The closer the big day got, the more common that prediction got. The Kings got Acuff in for workouts. Perry used to coach Acuff Sr. at Eastern Kentucky University in the 1990s.
The writing has been on the wall for quite some time. Really, the only hitch could have been the Clippers or the Nets selecting Acuff before the Kings got to him. That didn't happen, and Acuff will be a King this year. That is a smart move by Perry, as Acuff has the potential to be a superstar player.
Acuff is a point guard in the truest sense of the position, something the Kings desperately need. He is a court leader on both offense and defense, someone who can bring focus to the floor for the team. Well, once he's up to NBA speed, of course. He has to find his legs in the pros.
It's safe to say that Perry did his job well in 2026. So far, at least. The Kings still have two second-round picks to work with, which could also be huge for Sacramento. Keep in mind how well their one second-round pick treated the Kings in 2025. Hopefully, Perry has that magic again in 2026.
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