The Sacramento Kings’ preseason has been short on comfort and long on questions. Four games in, they’re 0-4, and three of those losses have been ugly enough to wipe out whatever buzz they carried out of the offseason.
That said, not everything has gone sideways. If there’s one clear bright spot from this first stretch, it’s Darius Acuff Jr.
He has looked composed, efficient, and already far too comfortable for a rookie trying to find his footing. In four preseason outings, he’s putting up 18.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 42.6% from the field and 41.2% from three.
The numbers matter, but the way he gets them matters just as much: smooth on offense, under control, and noticeably better defensively than he was in Summer League.
Darius Acuff Jr impressive showing in his third preseason game:25 PTS, 4 REB, 8 AST, 4/6 3PT, 8/15 FG pic.twitter.com/XEKlz0OtG3
At this point, Acuff feels like the center of everything for Sacramento. Even if the Kings crater and wind up winning just 12 games, a season in which Acuff proves he can be a future All-Star would still count for something.
That’s obviously not the plan, but after a preseason like this, the range of outcomes feels wide open. What isn’t in doubt is that Acuff looks the part right now.
The defensive growth still has to keep coming, and he’ll need to sustain the efficient scoring, but the hype around his offensive game before the draft makes a lot more sense when you watch him.
The more uneasy conversation surrounds Keegan Murray. There’s context here: he’s coming off an injury-heavy season and is still trying to get back into full game shape.
But through two preseason games, he hasn’t looked sharp. He’s been slow, out of sync, and unable to seize a chance to carry more of the load when the Kings were short-handed against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Maybe the expectations just need to shift as Murray enters his fifth year. The dream was a return to the shooting form he showed as a rookie, when he hit a then-record 206 threes at 41.1%.
Two preseason games don’t tell the whole story, especially from deep, but the eye test has been enough to spark concern. That doesn’t make Murray a bad player.
It just means his value may need to be viewed differently now. Even with his three-point dip over the last three seasons, he has still helped the Kings win with defense and rebounding.
The issue is less about whether he matters and more about whether he should still be seen as a franchise cornerstone or as a high-end rotation piece.
The biggest frustration, though, might be that Sacramento still hasn’t really shown what this team looks like when it matters. The lineup has been chopped up by injuries, absences, and restrictions, and even when the key names do appear, their minutes have been limited.
Through four games, Ben Simmons has played 8.9 minutes, Domantas Sabonis 10.1, and Malik Monk hasn’t played at all. Simmons easing back in makes sense.
The limited usage for Sabonis and Monk is harder to ignore.
That uncertainty is only going to put more pressure on Doug Christie’s rotation decisions once the regular season starts. For now, the Kings have gotten a better look at the end of the roster than at the group that’s supposed to define the year, and that makes the preseason feel like a missed chance to build real rhythm and cohesion.
Still, there is one real structural positive here: Sacramento looks bigger and longer than it has in recent years. The injuries to Maxime Raynaud and Dylan Cardwell hurt, but on the wings, the Kings have options that bring size and athleticism.
Murray, De’Andre Hunter, Simmons, Precious Achiuwa, and even Nique Clifford as a bigger two-guard give Christie combinations he can actually mix and match. Acuff, with his 6-foot-7 wingspan, also fits that theme; he can get into passing lanes and bother opposing ballhandlers.
The preseason results have been rough, and the rotations have been messy, but at least the Kings appear to have some genuine versatility to work with. Doug Christie may have plenty to sort out, but he also has choices.
In Other News...
Kings Preseason Absences Are Suddenly Raising Bigger Questions
Domantas Sabonis and Malik Monk have both become familiar faces at Kings shootarounds this preseason, even as neither has been consistently available for recent games. Sabonis has logged only limited minutes so far, and his absence stands out at a time when Sacramento is already navigating injuries elsewhere on the roster. Monks situation is murkier, with ankle soreness mentioned in reports, but he has still been around the team as the Kings continue to shape the rotation and sort out where everyone fits.
For Sacramento, the timing makes the absences harder to ignore. Sabonis has been at the center of plenty of speculation around the league, with the front office believed to be open to trading him if the right deal ever materializes, while Monks role has been trending upward as his leadership responsibilities grow. Even in preseason, those two storylines matter because the Kings are trying to build stability, not uncertainty, and every missed game only adds another layer to an already complicated early stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Ben Simmons Absence Vs Blazers Says A Lot About Kings Plan
Ben Simmons' first preseason appearance for Sacramento offered the kind of reminder the Kings were hoping for after more than a year away from NBA action, but his next game quickly showed how carefully the team is handling his return. He sat out against the Portland Trail Blazers, and head coach Doug Christie framed it as a workload decision rather than anything to do with health, a sign the Kings are trying to build Simmons up methodically instead of rushing him into a heavier exhibition schedule.
For a player expected to be part of the starting lineup when the regular season opens, the early emphasis is less on piling up preseason minutes and more on getting the body ready for the long haul. Simmons is reportedly in good condition and injury-free, and Sacramento appears intent on treating these first weeks as part of the ramp-up process, even if that means some nights off before the games start to count. [Read more 🡒]
Hawks Roster Move Puts One Young Guard On A Crucial Path
The late-October roster churn keeps rolling around the league, and the latest move came from San Antonio, where the Spurs waived guard RJ Davis after a brief stint on an Exhibit 10 contract. Davis had already built a G League rsum with the South Bay Lakers, where he earned All-Rookie recognition, and his situation fits the familiar pattern for this time of year: a quick signing, a quick waiver, and a likely path to a teams developmental program.
Sacramento has been part of the same wave of housekeeping, joining Denver and Atlanta in making similar Exhibit 10 transactions that are designed to funnel players toward their G League affiliates. For the Kings, these moves are less about the immediate roster and more about keeping the developmental pipeline active, even if the next step for each player still has to be sorted out. [Read more 🡒]