The Sacramento Kings are six losses deep into the 2026-2027 season, and there are fewer positives to talk about every game. One of them is Darius Acuff Jr., who is becoming one of the league's top rookie scorers. But the Kings are running the risk of wearing him out now and need to pull back.
There's no denying that Acuff is off to a hot start this season. He's averaging 26.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. His best game so far was against the Pelicans. He picked up his first NBA double-double that consisted of 34 points and 14 assists. It was a great performance.
These numbers are not likely to win him Rookie of the Year, especially when you consider how well guys like Cameron Boozer and Yexel Lendeborg are playing. At the same time, Acuff is continuing to progress and is proving that Scott Perry's faith in him was correct. None of that is the problem.
Acuff is playing way too many minutes
As the only dedicated point guard on the team, Acuff is on the court a lot. He's averaging 36.5 minutes per game, with his lowest being 33 minutes and his highest being 41. If that seems like too much, you're right. And that perception gets even worse when you compare him to other rookies.
Boozer, who is an ROTY frontrunner, is averaging 17.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game on a median of 31.2 minutes. He's never come close to 40 minutes in a single game, already has a triple-double, and is outplaying Acuff in almost every possible way.
Lendeborg is also doing more with less. He's averaging 32.0 minutes per game while collecting 19.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists. Plus, Lendeborg is an incredibly versatile player who is an absolute demon on defense and may try to fight Luka Doncic before the end of the season.
The Kings are playing with fire when it comes to their star rookie
Both Boozer and Lendeborg are performing incredibly well without being run ragged by their respective head coaches. Part of the problem is that the Kings don't have another option at point guard. The other issue is that their entire development strategy for him is to play non-stop.
Look, Acuff is young, skilled, and in great shape, but he's not invincible. The Kings are playing with fire by putting such a heavy load on a rookie's shoulders. Considering how many injuries they're dealing with already, it seems like Sacramento is daring the basketball gods to hit them with one more.
At this point, the Kings' only real plan appears to be to keep running Acuff for more than 35 minutes a game until he either becomes the greatest player of all time or spontaneously combusts. Knowing Sacramento and their terrible history with developing point guards, the latter is the most likely.
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