The rookie class has wasted no time making noise in the 2026-27 NBA season, and Sacramento’s Darius Acuff Jr. is sitting at the front of the conversation.
Through the first few weeks, five rookies are averaging more than 17 points per game, and several of the league’s biggest draft names are already shaping their teams. AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 overall pick, is putting up 19 points a night for a Washington Wizards team that has improved.
No. 3 pick Cameron Boozer has been an all-around force for the 6-1 Memphis Grizzlies. Lottery selections Caleb Wilson and Yaxel Lendeborg are both playing major roles in their offenses, too.
But it’s Acuff, the Kings guard, who is leading the class in scoring at 26.1 points per game.
On “Deuce’s Deep Dives,” NBC Sports California’s Deuce Mason pointed to Acuff as the rookie giving Sacramento fans real reason to lean in.
“You’re seeing the impacts from Yaxel to Caleb to Cam, and then we bring you to Sacramento with Darius Acuff Jr. giving Kings fans something to be excited about,” Mason said. “Acuff is averaging 26 points per game.
That is top 10 in the NBA in scoring, and it’s early, but it’s also ahead of some absolute titans of the game. We’re talking about more points a game than Victor Wembanyama, than [Nikola Jokic], Cade Cunningham and Jalen Brunson, and he’s only 19 years old.”
Acuff has already crossed the 20-point mark five times and has gone for 30 or more in three games. He’s also second in the NBA with 23.6 field goal attempts per night, a sign of just how much Sacramento is leaning on him.
The efficiency still has room to grow. Acuff is shooting 40.6 percent from the field and 31.3 percent on 9.6 3-point attempts per game, and Mason also noted that the rookie’s defense needs work.
Still, the appeal goes beyond the box score. Mason said what stands out is how Acuff is creating offense and handling the pressure that comes with it.
“The numbers are only part of what makes Acuff so impressive,” Mason added. “It’s his handle.
It’s his change of pace. His ability to get to his spots.
And even when that shot doesn’t drop, it doesn’t faze him. He keeps going.
Defenses have thrown everything at him at this point: full court pressure, physicality, length, size, doubles. It doesn’t seem to rattle him.
He has a patience to his game that you do not expect from someone his age. Darius Acuff Jr. is becoming must-watch, and this rookie class is special.”
Acuff backed that up Monday in Sacramento’s first win of the season, a 115-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. He finished with 25 points and six assists, while Zach LaVine scored 23 and Malik Monk added 24.
The Kings are off to a 1-6 start and seem unlikely to reach the playoffs, but Acuff’s emergence is giving fans an early look at what could be coming next.
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Kings Finally Showed Something Fans Have Been Waiting To See
For a team that has spent much of the season searching for a cleaner identity, the 115-100 win over Dallas offered a much better snapshot of what Sacramento wants to be. Darius Acuff Jr. set the tone with 25 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, while the Kings got real help from the second unit, with Malik Monk, Emanuel Sharp and Leaky Black all making their presence felt in a game that looked more connected on both ends.
What stood out most was the way Sacramento defended and the way it spaced the floor, two areas that had been inconsistent before this one. It was the Kings best showing of the season so far, and the kind of performance that can matter beyond one night because it gives the coaching staff something tangible to build on, even if the bigger question is whether they can make it a habit. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Suddenly Face An Early Rebuild Dilemma On The Wing
The Kings finally got into the win column after an 0-6 start, and one of the more encouraging developments came from the bench. Leaky Black gave Sacramento a useful lift with 12 points, four steals and three rebounds, a reminder that even in a rough opening stretch there are still rotation spots to be won as the team sorts through its young wings.
Nique Clifford, meanwhile, has seen both his minutes and his production taper off, which puts his place in the picture under a brighter spotlight. For a Kings team already leaning into an early rebuild conversation, the wing spot is becoming a real evaluation point, and how they handle Clifford's role could say plenty about which young players they intend to keep developing. [Read more 🡒]
Darius Acuff Jr. Is Giving Kings Fans Real Hope Already
Darius Acuff Jr. has wasted little time giving Kings fans a reason to pay attention. Through seven games, the rookie has been producing at a level that is hard to ignore, averaging 26.1 points and 6.3 assists while showing real growth as both a scorer and a creator. He has also strung together three straight games with at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists, a run that puts him in rare company for a first-year player.
For Sacramento, the early returns are even more striking because Acuff is already matching a standard not seen from a rookie since 2019, and he has joined Oscar Robertson as the only Kings rookies to do it. The numbers alone suggest a player who is settling in quickly, but the bigger question is how far this kind of all-around production can go once the league has more time to adjust. [Read more 🡒]