Darius Acuff Jr. walked into Kings media day with the kind of calm that usually belongs to veterans, not 19-year-old rookies expected to help steer a franchise. Sacramento spent the summer talking about Ben Simmons, but the real swing piece might be the seventh pick from June’s draft, the point guard the Kings now seem ready to build around.
That’s a heavy assignment for any young player. Acuff Jr. didn’t sound rattled by it.
He made clear that his early work with Domantas Sabonis has already given him a foundation to lean on. “It's been great,” Acuff Jr. said about his time with Sabonis so far.
“A couple of the five-on-five sessions we were on the same team, and it was kind of easy to play with him. Yeah, I'm gonna get some layups off him, he can pass, too.
It's great. Building chemistry with him, it's very exciting for sure.”
That kind of connection matters for a Kings team that needs its veterans and its youth to click fast. Sacramento already has established pieces in Zach LaVine, Sabonis and Simmons, but Acuff Jr. is the one carrying the most long-term expectation. If the Kings are going anywhere this season, the fit between the rookie and the proven stars has to come together.
Acuff Jr. also sounded comfortable with the idea that leadership will be part of his job description, even at this age. When asked what he expects from himself this season, he didn’t shy away from the responsibility.
“Just staying level-headed,” he said. “Just being smart, and just being a leader.
As the point guard, you've got to lead the team. That's how y'all gonna win.
So just getting everybody where they need to be. Everybody taking accountability, no matter who you are.
Being together as a team, on and off the court, will help on the court.”
The Kings may not be asking a 19-year-old to do everything, but they are clearly looking for him to help set the tone. That won’t happen overnight.
There will be an adjustment to the NBA game, and there will be a learning curve before his voice fully takes hold. Still, the mindset is exactly what Sacramento wants to hear.
There’s also the outside noise, and plenty of it. The Kings are projected to be one of the league’s worst teams, and national outlets have not shown much belief in them.
Acuff Jr. doesn’t sound interested in arguing with any of that. He sounds ready to use it.
“Yeah, for sure,” Acuff Jr. said about this being bulletin board material. “You want something to fuel you.
The one thing I've said since I've been here is that I'm trying to win. I'm not too worried about what other people say.
I'm focused on what me and the team are trying to do, and that's win games.”
For Sacramento, that’s the right answer. The bigger question is whether Acuff Jr. can turn that confidence into real production. The Kings believe he can, and if he lives up to that belief, this season could look a lot different than the national forecasts suggest.
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