After two preseason games, Sacramento Kings fans have gotten a pair of disparate looks at their rookie point guard. His first outing against the Lakers was good, while his second was shaky at best. Consistency should come with time, but the Kings need to deliver on helping him get there.
Being that Sacramento is stuck in salary cap purgatory for now, they used the 2026 draft to find themselves a new point guard. The plan was to get a rookie on board who they could develop as part of the rebuild. As such, the Kings turned their seventh overall pick into Acuff, a good choice.
His first NBA appearance was the Kings' preseason opener against the Lakers. Sacramento got routed, but Acuff had a reasonably good showing. In 27+ minutes, he picked up 19 points, two rebounds, four assists, one steal, and one block. Not a bad start for a rookie facing Luka Doncic.
Sacramento followed that up by losing to the Lakers in game two, though it was much closer this time. Acuff seemed a lot more unsettled in his game, which was why his minutes were cut down. This time, he had 12 points, one assist, two steals, and one block. There are some troubling trends.
Acuff needs time and support to find a rhythm
The most obvious issue is shooting. Acuff went from eight of 17 from the field at 47.1% to four of 15 at 26.7%. A big reason for that was an increase in three-point attempts, which went from four to seven. The problem was that his successful three-point shots went from one to two, which isn't good.
As unfortunate as the shooting decline was, the Kings need to be more concerned about his assists. He only had four in the first game, which isn't enough for their new point guard, then declined to one assist in game two. That's more troubling, as Sacramento needs Acuff to be an offensive hub.
Part of this dip could be attributed to the fact that Domantas Sabonis didn't play in the second Lakers game. The duo has a natural chemistry that is starting to develop into something legit. Without Sabonis, Acuff didn't have his key partner on the team. That presents another issue.
If that is the case, the Kings need to help him push past that. There's no telling how much longer Sabonis will be in Sacramento. Acuff needs to build chemistry with other players, particularly fellow rookies and sophomores who will be the foundation of the rebuild alongside him.
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