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SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 25: Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Sacramento Kings stands on the court against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center on October 25, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Six games into his career, Darius Acuff Jr. made nine threes in a night, tying the NBA rookie record and becoming the first teenager to do it. The 19-year-old finished with a career-high 38 points in the Kings’ 136-105 loss at Memphis, which dropped Sacramento to 0-6. The Darius Acuff record is a story about a jump shot that wouldn’t go in, until it did.
Darius Acuff Record: Nine Threes, 38 Points and a Franchise Mark
Acuff shot 12-of-25 overall and 9-of-14 from three, adding five rebounds and five assists in 37 minutes. He also became the youngest King to score 30 or more in consecutive games, at 19 years and 349 days, passing Oscar Robertson, who was 21 years and 357 days. He had 34 two nights earlier against New Orleans. After six games he has 158 points, a 26.3 average, and three 30-point nights.
From 0-for-7 to 9-for-14
Here’s what makes Saturday different. Acuff made no threes in his NBA debut, missing all seven. He went 2-of-11 two nights later. Through five games he was shooting 22.2 percent from three.
Then in Memphis, he scored two points in the first quarter and 21 by halftime, 13 of them in the final six minutes, pulling the Kings within 66-55 after they had trailed by 21. He made a pair of catch-and-shoot threes, then started hitting off the dribble. Nobody else in a Kings uniform made more than one.
His teammates were 2-of-24 from deep, which means Acuff’s nine were nine of Sacramento’s 11.
GettySACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 25: Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Sacramento Kings shoots over Cameron Boozer #27 of the Memphis Grizzlies during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center on October 25, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Rookie vs. Rookie in Memphis
The Kings’ record was never in doubt for long. The Grizzlies are 6-0, matching the best start in franchise history, and the league’s only unbeaten team. Their No. 3 pick, Cam Boozer, scored a career-high 27, GG Jackson II was a perfect 5-of-5 from three, and Memphis scored 42 in the third quarter to pull away. The No. 3 pick got the win, and the No. 7 pick got the headlines. Sacramento played without Keegan Murray, Maxime Raynaud, Ben Simmons and Dylan Cardwell.
Six games is a small sample, and one hot night doesn’t fix a 22 percent three-point shooter. But Acuff has now shown his shooting can go from missing seven of seven to making nine of 14 in a week. The Kings are winless and heavily dependent on him. What they have now is a rookie who keeps shooting until it goes in.