For all the misery attached to this Sacramento Kings season, Darius Acuff Jr. has given the franchise something real to hang onto. He has quickly become one of the bright spots in the rookie class, and his rise is starting to feel a lot like what Maxime Raynaud just did before him.
That matters because Sacramento may have stumbled into a pair of building blocks in consecutive drafts. Raynaud, taken deep in the second round of the 2025 draft, was never supposed to become much.
Instead, he blew past expectations after general manager Scott Perry stuck with the pick. Once Sabonis went out injured, Raynaud stepped into the starting center role and ran with it, finishing as a top-five presence on the Kia Rookie Ladder, earning NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors, leading all rookies in double-doubles, and taking home NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March 2026.
Acuff is tracking along a similar path. He opened his NBA rookie season in the starting lineup and has already made his mark by leading rookies in several stat categories.
He has also been a regular in the top five of the Kia Rookie Ladder, and he is currently sitting at No. 3.
For a team searching for any kind of direction, that is no small thing.
The next step is obvious: Sacramento has to get Raynaud and Acuff on the floor together. Raynaud is currently recovering from a patella injury after he and Stephen Curry accidentally smashed knees, which has kept the sophomore out for some time. Once he returns, making that pairing work should be a priority.
Having two elite rookies in back-to-back seasons gives the Kings something they haven’t had in a while - a young core worth shaping around. The more those two can build chemistry, the more the rest of the roster can start to take form around them. That includes Dylan Cardwell, Emanuel Sharp, Nique Clifford, and Alex Karaban, all part of the group Perry has assembled over the last drafts.
If Sacramento develops that group the right way, the rebuild has a chance to become more than just a long slog. It starts with Raynaud and Acuff finding their rhythm together, and from there the Kings can at least start to look like a team with a future.
In Other News...
Kings Finally Get Relief With Surging Spurs Coming To Sacramento
The Kings are still waiting for their early-season roster to get anywhere close to full strength, and the injury pileup has already made life difficult. Ben Simmons, Maxime Raynaud, Dylan Cardwell and Keegan Murray have all been among the key names Sacramento has had to navigate without, leaving the team to piece together lineups while trying to stay afloat in the 2026-27 season.
Now comes a chance to reset at home against a Spurs team that arrives on a winning streak and with far fewer health concerns. San Antonio has been one of the steadier groups in the NBA Cup Group Play picture, which only raises the stakes for Sacramento as it looks for a cleaner performance and, just as importantly, a healthier rotation to work with. [Read more 🡒]
Sabonis Gives Kings Fans A Milestone To Watch Amid Trade Buzz
Domantas Sabonis gave Kings fans another reason to keep an eye on the record book in the loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, pulling down 17 rebounds and moving past Eddie Johnson into ninth place on Sacramentos all-time offensive rebounds list. It has been a career year on the glass for Sabonis, and the pace he is on has him inching toward a far more prominent mark in franchise history.
The timing makes the milestone feel a little more layered, too, with trade buzz continuing to swirl around Sabonis even as no confirmed move has been reported. For a Kings team trying to sort out both its present and its future, his climb up the franchise leaderboard is a reminder of how much production he has already delivered, and how much more history he could still chase if he stays in Sacramento. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Linked Again To A Star Big Man They Once Passed On
Domantas Sabonis is back in the center of trade conversation as Sacramentos rebuild starts to take shape, and that naturally has ripple effects across the league. The Kings are reportedly open to moving the star big man, which is the kind of development that immediately gets attention from teams that have already checked in before and know what kind of impact he can have.
Charlotte is one of the clubs worth watching again after showing interest last season, when talks with the Kings and Raptors never got over the finish line because of contract and draft-pick disagreements. With both teams stumbling this season, the conditions for another round of discussions are there, and Sabonis remains the sort of name that can quickly change the direction of a front office conversation. [Read more 🡒]