Darius Acuff Jr. has spent his first three preseason games showing why the Sacramento Kings used a first-round pick on him, and why the defensive end still has plenty of room for growth.
The former Arkansas guard and SEC Player of the Year has been productive right away, sitting atop all rookies in points per game. His 55% true shooting percentage has also held up better than many might have expected from a player with his style. But while the offense has come fast, the defense is where the work is obvious.
That part of the game hasn’t come as smoothly, though Acuff Jr. says he knows exactly where the focus needs to be.
“Defense, off-ball as far as like, being the low man," Acuff Jr. said.
He also said, “Definitely learning that spot (low man) a little, but definitely getting better," he said.
The challenge for Acuff Jr. starts with his profile. He’s not tiny, and at 19 he’s stronger than a lot of guards his age, but he doesn’t project as the kind of point-of-attack stopper who can erase bigger wings.
Like other smaller guards around the league, he’s going to get targeted in actions that force bigger players onto him. That part comes with the territory.
What matters more is what he does away from the ball.
For smaller guards, staying locked in off-ball is often the separator. It means not drifting, not staring at the play, and not losing track of the weak side.
That was an issue for Acuff Jr. at Arkansas, and it has shown up at times again in Summer League and preseason. On the flip side, his activity level has been better, and there are signs he understands the assignment.
He’s also got more tools than a lot of people realize. Acuff Jr. has a plus wingspan at 6’7”, longer than Alex Caruso and the same as Jrue Holiday, which gives him a chance to matter defensively even if he’s not the one guarding the ball.
That becomes important because there are only so many players in the league talented enough offensively to survive major defensive shortcomings. Acuff Jr. is not there yet, and there’s no guarantee he reaches that level. If he wants to avoid the defensive path that has haunted players like Trae Young, DeMar DeRozan, and Zach LaVine, he has to bring value somewhere else on that end.
One way to do that is as a kind of passing-lane hunter - the off-ball defender who reads the floor, jumps routes, and makes life difficult for opponents. That’s the role he can grow into if he sharpens his instincts.
At Arkansas, the steals never really piled up. Acuff Jr. averaged just 0.8 per game, had only seven games with multiple steals, and finished 18 games without one. John Calipari made it clear he wasn’t expecting a huge defensive workload from him, but that won’t be enough for what Sacramento needs moving forward.
The preseason has also thrown Acuff Jr. into some tough matchups, including stretches against Steph Curry and Luka Doncic. Those aren’t the sort of assignments he’ll probably carry into the regular season.
More often, he’ll be asked to guard wings and guards who aren’t the main scoring engines, which is where his best defensive path opens up. That also gives him a chance to bother bigger players who aren’t comfortable handling the ball.
Doncic showed that against Maxime Raynaud in the first preseason matchup.
The encouraging part is that Acuff Jr. has already flashed the kind of two-way plays the Kings want to see. He can make a shot on one end and then come up with a block on the other. He isn’t going to be a rim protector, but he can still erase a few easy points, or take a foul when the attacker is a shaky free-throw shooter.
If he can hold up as the low man, stay active in rotations, and use his speed to create plays in passing lanes, Acuff Jr. has a real shot at becoming a neutral defender. And if that comes together with the offensive production he’s already showing, Sacramento may have the kind of player it has been looking for.
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