Darius Acuff Jr. keeps piling up numbers, but the Sacramento Kings rookie sounds even more locked in on the people around him than the records he’s breaking.
The 19-year-old guard has been a nightly headline, and for good reason. In Wednesday’s loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Acuff posted 22 points and 12 assists, pushing his season totals to 205 points and 56 assists. That made him the first rookie since 1960-61 to put up 200-plus points and 50-plus assists in his first eight games.
For a 6-foot-3 guard, the volume is part of the story. Acuff is taking 23.6 shots per game, which puts him among the top three players in field-goal attempts. That number sits 0.3 above Luka Dončić and 0.2 below Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The scoring burst has come with the usual rookie noise attached. Acuff’s confidence has drawn criticism from the media, especially when the shots don’t drop, and Sacramento’s No. 7 pick has shot below 40% in four games this season. He said he isn’t paying attention to that chatter and is focused on hooping for his team.
What Acuff keeps returning to is the group around him. He praised the veterans for staying with him through the season and said they’ve been giving him advice, good or bad, which he values.
Domantas Sabonis fits into that picture even if Acuff didn’t single him out by name. Sean Deveney reported that Sabonis is not “enthused” about playing with a ball-dominant guard like Acuff, though those comments were framed more around the franchise’s direction than the two players’ relationship.
On the floor, the story looks different. Sabonis and Acuff shared a smile-filled moment in Sacramento’s first win over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, and their partnership has been central to the Kings’ offense.
Sabonis’ shot volume has dipped since Acuff arrived, down to 8.6 attempts per game, the second-worst mark of his career outside his rookie season with the Indiana Pacers. But the reduced usage hasn’t hurt his production. The Kings center is shooting 68% from the field and pulling down a career-high 14.9 rebounds.
The fit between Acuff and Sabonis has given Sacramento a dependable pick-and-roll option, especially when games tighten up. It’s also been a major reason Acuff’s assist numbers have climbed.
Even with all that talent, the Kings are still staring at a 1-7 start, and that kind of record can fuel more rumors and reports around the organization. The pieces are there. The results haven’t followed yet.
In Other News...
Zach LaVine Just Said What Kings Fans Already Fear
The postgame mood around Sacramento was already sour after the loss to the Lakers, and Zach LaVine did little to soften it. In his press conference, he acknowledged what Kings fans have been seeing for weeks: both teams have shaky defenders, and Los Angeles was able to take advantage of Sacramentos defensive issues when it mattered most.
It was an uncomfortably direct assessment for a team that has spent much of the season trying to find its footing on that end of the floor. The Kings sit 28th in defensive rating, allowing 119.4 points per 100 possessions, and comments like LaVines only sharpen the pressure on a group that knows the problem is bigger than one bad night. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Just Got Exposed By A Lakers Problem Fans Know Too Well
The Kings ran into the kind of problem that can unravel a game in a hurry against the Lakers: pressure, length and a defense that turned possessions into chaos. Los Angeles won 116-103 and did it with a disruptive edge, piling up 13 blocks and forcing 18 turnovers while Luka Doncic powered the offense with 40 points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Austin Reaves added 21 points as the Lakers kept finding ways to make Sacramento pay for every mistake.
For Sacramento, the frustrating part is how familiar this can feel when the ball stops moving and the floor tightens up. The Kings had stretches where they could not get clean looks or settle into rhythm, and once the Lakers started converting those turnovers into points, the gap only widened. It was the kind of loss that leaves plenty to fix, especially against a team that is already looking every bit like an early-season problem. [Read more 🡒]
Kings Rookie Darius Acuff Jr. Is Drawing A Wild Allen Iverson Comparison
Darius Acuff Jr. has barely gotten his NBA career started, but the early returns have already stirred up some big-name chatter around Sacramento. Selected seventh overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, the Kings rookie has opened the 2026-27 season averaging 25.6 points and 7.0 assists per game through early November, production that has been impossible to ignore for anyone following the teams fast start to his pro career.
On Sactown Sports, longtime Allen Iverson fan Kenny Caraway said Acuffs scoring burst and playmaking bring Iverson to mind, while making clear it was more a nod of admiration than a forecast of where the comparison might ultimately lead. For the Kings, it is the kind of early buzz that comes with a high pick who already looks comfortable carrying an offense, even if the conversation around him is only just beginning. [Read more 🡒]