Darius Acuff Jr. has already built a reputation as a scorer, but the most revealing early praise for Sacramento’s rookie may have come from someone who knows the point guard position as well as anyone.
According to Kings TV voice Mark Jones, former NBA guard Andre Miller left the team’s recent workouts in Los Angeles genuinely impressed by Acuff’s passing and command. Jones told the story on Sactown Sports’ The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross, and the reaction he described came after one scrimmage sequence that showcased more than just shot-making.
“Everybody knows about Darius Acuff’s ability to score,” Jones said. “44 percent on threes last year at Arkansas. 50 percent on catch-and-shoot threes. Can make his own food. Great at creating his own shot.”
The play that caught Miller’s eye started with Acuff coming off a Dylan Cardwell screen. He snaked the pick, got his defender on his hip and then fired a left-handed hook pass off the bounce to Nique Clifford in the corner. Clifford buried the game-winning three.
Jones said Miller wasted no time seeking out Doug Christie afterward.
“Doug, that your point guard right there? That dude, your point guard?” Miller asked.
Jones said Miller kept going, clearly taken by what he had seen from the seventh overall pick.
“He was saying, ‘Wow, he can go. He’s making every pass, making all kinds of shots,’” Jones said.
That kind of reaction matters for Sacramento because Acuff’s scoring profile was never really in doubt. At Arkansas, he put up 23.5 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 44% from three, then added SEC Player of the Year, SEC Rookie of the Year, and Consensus All-American honors before the Kings took him seventh overall in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The bigger test has been whether his playmaking can carry over consistently at the next level. Miller’s response, from a 17-year NBA veteran who ranks 13th on the league’s all-time assists list, gives Sacramento at least one strong early indicator.
Jones also said Clifford has continued to shoot the ball well since returning from Summer League and noted that the young Kings have been “going at it hard” in workouts. He’s now looking forward to seeing how Acuff and the rest of the younger group look when they’re alongside Domantas Sabonis, Zach LaVine, Keegan Murray, and De’Andre Hunter.
“I think we’re going to get the best version of those players,” Jones said, adding that both veterans seem highly motivated heading into the season.
Sacramento’s offseason keeps moving toward training camp in late September, with preseason set to open Monday, October 5th against Luka Doncic and the new-look Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center. The Kings’ preseason schedule also includes a road game at the Lakers on Thursday, October 8th, a trip to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, October 10th, a home game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday, October 13th, and a road game at the San Antonio Spurs on Friday, October 16th.
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Darius Acuff Jr. is a big part of why that conversation feels more urgent now. The rookies strong standing among first-year players has already fed the idea that he could take on a major ballhandling load and help steady the offense in a way Kings fans remember from the De'Aaron Fox era, but the job description is still the real issue. Sacramento does not just need Acuff to be good, it needs him to be the kind of primary initiator who can change how the whole attack functions. [Read more 🡒]