Darius Acuff Jr. made his NBA preseason debut Oct. 5 against the Los Angeles Lakers and Luka Doncic, scoring 19 points in a Sacramento Kings loss.
Acuff was drafted by the Kings with the No. 7 overall pick in June’s NBA draft, with the hope that he becomes the offensive engine the team needs to take the next step. In his first real NBA action, he was second on the team in scoring and led it with four assists.
On a night when the Kings as a whole looked poor, Acuff and fellow young guard Nique Clifford got to their spots with ease, combining for 42 points. Clifford was the Kings’ top performer, scoring 23 points and grabbing nine rebounds in 28 minutes. He shot 60% from the field and 50% from three and made 60% of his 10 free-throw attempts.
In the first quarter, Acuff found himself in a duel with one of the NBA’s superstars. Doncic came off a screen and knocked down a three-pointer with the rookie in his face.
On the next Kings possession, Acuff took the ball straight at Doncic and crossed him up with a behind-the-back dribble before bouncing inside for a fadeaway midrange jumper, a shot Razorback fans know well.
Another former Razorback was also on the floor Monday. Forward Adou Thiero played 17 minutes for the Lakers. He scored only three points, but he had four assists and four rebounds. He also added two steals in the Lakers’ win.
Acuff ended the 127-103 loss with 19 points and four assists. He also grabbed two rebounds and had a steal and a block. He shot 47% from the field in 27 minutes, went 1-for-4 from three and made all of his free throws.
“Being the leader, especially as the point guard, you want to come in and build everyone together,” Acuff said postgame. “Not the outcome we wanted, but it’s a lesson, a lesson we’re gonna learn from for sure.”
Acuff lit up the NCAA during his time at Arkansas. He earned SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year honors, and he led the conference in scoring (22 points per game) and assists (six per game). He was the first freshman to lead the SEC in both categories since Pete Maravich in 1967-68.
He also led the Hogs to an SEC Tournament title and a Sweet 16 berth under coach John Calipari. Acuff became the first freshman in NCAA history, and the only Razorback, to win the Bob Cousy Award, given to the nation’s top college point guard.
Acuff followed his debut with a tougher night in the rematch Oct. 8, when the Lakers held off the Kings 114-110 in Los Angeles. He scored 12 points on 4-of-15 shooting, down from the 19 points he put up in the opener.
He started 1-of-10 from the field before finishing the first half with three straight makes, two of them from three-point range and his 10 first-half points led Sacramento at the break.
Doncic scored 23 for the Lakers, while Acuff spent much of the night guarding Austin Reaves. The loss dropped Sacramento to 0-2 in the preseason. The Kings visit the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. CT.