Darius Acuff Jr. arrives in Sacramento with the kind of expectations that usually come attached to a future face of the franchise, not just a rookie trying to find his footing. The Kings took him seventh overall, and the early buzz has only grown louder this summer.
Acuff has already been pegged as Sacramento’s best player over the next three years, a strong Rookie of the Year candidate outside the top four picks, and even a player whose game draws comparisons to New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson. Now, Matt George, host of "The Matt and Kayla Show" on Sactown Sports 1140, has added another big name to the conversation: De'Aaron Fox.
George said he expects Acuff to "smash" Fox’s rookie numbers, and the bar is there for the taking. Fox, selected fifth in 2017, posted 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists in his first season. Acuff’s college production suggests he should clear that with room to spare.
At Arkansas, the freshman guard led the SEC in scoring at 23.5 points per game and also topped the conference in assists with 6.4. Those numbers were better than Fox’s freshman season at Kentucky under John Calipari, the same coach who also worked with Acuff.
The tougher test may come when the discussion shifts from Fox’s first year to his second. Fox jumped to 17.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists in Year 2, a leap that set a much higher standard. George thinks Acuff can at least "threaten" those totals because Sacramento is expected to give him a much freer runway than Fox had early in his career.
"Acuff is going to do it on significantly higher volume than De'Aaron," George said on Friday's episode. "Acuff puts up that stat line, I'm feeling really good as a Kings fan."
That kind of responsibility fits the moment in Sacramento. The Kings have missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons, and ESPN projects them to finish with 19 wins, three fewer than last season. In that kind of rebuild, the team’s identity is still being formed, and Acuff could wind up as the No. 1 option right away.
For the Kings, this season won’t be measured by playoff positioning. It will be about whether Acuff can handle the lead role, show he can run a team at the next level, and turn the promise from Arkansas into production in Sacramento.
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