Jerry Reynolds isn’t ready to celebrate what he’s seeing from the Kings just because Darius Acuff Jr. dropped 30 points and 10 assists. The former Sacramento coach, general manager and broadcaster told Sactown Sports’ The Drive Guys that the rookie’s upside is real, but the next step is about smarter growth, not just green lights.
Reynolds said he liked what he saw from Acuff after Thursday night’s 30-point, 10-assist outing, especially the shift toward better decision-making. He made clear, though, that he wasn’t sold on the earlier approach.
“I wasn’t a big fan of his volume shooting, to be honest,” Reynolds said. “I liked the idea [on Thursday night] where the 14 assists are heading in the right direction.”
For Reynolds, the ideal version of Acuff is a guard who can score around 20 points a night on roughly 15 shots while also handing out 10 assists. That kind of balance, he said, would give the Kings a much stronger base to build on with the 19-year-old.
But Acuff wasn’t the only part of Sacramento’s rotation Reynolds wanted to talk about. He also pushed back on the heavy minutes being logged by the starters so early in the season, saying the workload is a problem for a teenager and for the group as a whole.
“I just don’t like it,” Reynolds said. “And really, for the starters playing that much, this is a long way to go.”
The bench, Reynolds noted, has had trouble producing. Even so, he said limited playing time makes it hard for reserves to settle in and show what they can do. He argued that Sacramento needs to learn more about its second unit while also continuing to develop Acuff.
That includes Nique Clifford, whom Reynolds singled out after the Kings traded up to draft him. He said the team still needs to answer a basic question about the rookie’s future role.
“You need to find out: Can he be a reasonable, valuable reserve?” Reynolds said.
Reynolds also widened the lens to the offense itself, saying Sacramento should add another layer to what it’s already doing. When asked whether Acuff would benefit from more dribble-drive motion, Reynolds said the guard can handle different styles, but the larger point is that the Kings need more options.
The discussion turned briefly to Doug Christie as well, and Reynolds urged caution about rushing to judgment. He also dismissed injuries as a clean explanation for Sacramento’s issues, saying every team has to deal with absences.
“If you play that game, that just allows-that’s just an excuse,” he said. “And that’s what you don’t want to get in the habit of giving.”
Reynolds was also asked about a possible trade involving Orlando’s Anthony Black and Jalen Suggs. He was high on Black’s potential, calling him a long, defense-first guard who could grow into a player with similarities to Boston’s Derrick White. He was not interested in taking on Suggs’ long-term deal, saying Sacramento should steer clear of another expensive commitment.
The thread running through Reynolds’ comments was hard to miss: let Acuff develop, figure out what the bench can actually provide, and stop leaning so heavily on the starters to carry everything.
In Other News...
Kings Winless Start Is Making One Breakout Feel Complicated
The Kings 136-105 loss to the Grizzlies only deepened an ugly start to the season, but it also added a strange layer to an otherwise bleak night. Sacramento fell to 0-6 while dealing with a depleted lineup and another rough defensive showing, especially in a third quarter that got away from them when Memphis poured in 40 points.
Amid all of that, rookie Darius Acuff gave the Kings something to hold onto, setting a new Sacramento rookie scoring record with 38 points and knocking down 9 of 14 from three. It was the kind of breakout that can matter over the long haul, even if it came in a game where the bigger question remains how Sacramento turns individual flashes into something more stable. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Already Have A Problem In The One Area They Trusted Most
The early returns off Sacramentos bench have been rough, and the issue has gone beyond one cold night or a bad matchup. Injuries have thinned the second unit, with Ben Simmons, Keegan Murray, Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell all unavailable at various points, and the players left to carry the load have not provided much relief. Malik Monk and Nique Clifford, in particular, have struggled to give the Kings the kind of scoring punch and shot-making that usually helps keep the offense afloat when the starters sit.
For a group that entered the season trusting its depth to be a stabilizing force, the concern now is whether the front office leaned too heavily into defense and left the offense short on answers. Through the first six games, Sacramentos bench has not just been quiet, it has been a drag on the teams overall production, and that makes the next stretch feel especially important. The Kings need more than just bodies back in the rotation. They need the second unit to start looking like a strength again. [Read more 🡒]
Kings May Be Giving Up On A Young Guard Too Soon
Nique Cliffords second season in Sacramento has taken an uneasy turn, with his playing time dropping enough to spark real questions about where he fits in the Kings long-term plans. The roster has been crowded by younger players ahead of him in the rotation, and that has put the organizations handling of its developmental pieces under a brighter spotlight than it probably wanted.
Now there is at least some outside interest to consider, with reports linking the Oklahoma City Thunder to Clifford as they navigate injuries. For the Kings, it adds another layer to an already familiar dilemma: whether to keep waiting on a young guard who has shown enough to remain intriguing, or move on before he gets a longer runway in Sacramento. [Read more 🡒]