Musselman Believes Kings Landed 'Special' Talent in Razorbacks' Star Acuff

Former Hogs' coach says Kings' rookie's offensive creativity is elite, predicts another part of his game will soon catch up

Former Arkansas Razorbacks coach Eric Musselman works the referees against South Carolina during their second round game of the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., Thursday, March 14, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Few people understand both the Arkansas Razorbacks and the Sacramento Kings quite like Eric Musselman.

After spending four seasons in Fayetteville and previously coaching the Kings, Musselman continues to keep an eye both organizations.

During a recent appearance on Sactown Sports 1140, the former Arkansas coach revealed he still follows the Razorbacks, and did so throughout the 2025-26 season and came away convinced the Kings landed a special player in first-round pick Darius Acuff.

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff looks for an opening to drive in a game against the Louisville Cardinals at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. | Arkansas Communications

He didn't just check the ESPN app for updates, but made sure to watch Acuff flourish from a 5-star true freshman and into an SEC legend, who received consensus All-American recognition for his exceptional play.

The Detroit native became a national sensation by becoming the only other player in SEC history to lead the league in points and assists in a single-season. Acuff averaged over 24 points, six assists, three rebounds and an astonishing 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio in conference play.

Once the calendar flipped over to March, he elevated his game to a different level over the final seven games by averaging 30 points, seven assists, three rebounds and one steal on 46% from the field, 48% from three, and 84% at the free throw line.

Acuff did enough throughout his one year at Arkansas to validate Sacramento's selection of him at No. 7 overall last month. He has showcased the ability to create difficult shots late in possessions while carrying a heavy workload for the Kings during NBA Summer League action even if his team has come up short on occasion.

"I watched so many of the Arkansas games just because of having been there before Coach [John] Calipari got there," Musselman said. "[Darius Acuff] is just, he's such a special, talented player. When you look at what he does from an offensive standpoint, his ability to create shots when the shot clock is winding down, he's got great creativity off the bounce."

While most 5-star guards gravitate toward Calipari because of his extensive history of elevating draft stock, Acuff would've thrived in a Musselman-style system with his creativity attacking downhill, and taking defenders one-on-one in isolation.

What makes Acuff such an intriguing rookie with a high ceiling is his ability to analyze defense quickly, create space in the halfcourt and manufacture clutch moments time and again.

He routinely bailed Arkansas out of jams on the offensive end, and Musselman believes he'll do the same in Sacramento very soon. However, it was on the defensive end that drew the most skepticism from most basketball critics on social media and network analysts.

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) dribbles the ball past Vanderbilt Commodores guard Chandler Bing (7) during the second half during the men's SEC Conference Tournament Championship at Bridgestone Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Just like he played his best as a scorer when his team needed him most, the same could be said on the defensive end. Aucff had to learn to defend without fouling for the majority of the season, but that changed in a big way during postseason play.

Acuff ranked in the 25th percentile in defensive win shares at 0.03 and once those numbers were broken down things just looked worse with his defensive rebound percentage sitting at 8.3%, (25th percentile) and a steal percentage of 1.3% which were among the lowest in the regular season.

In March, Acuff rocketed toward the front as his all-around defensive rating was higher than at any point this season at 0.5 (64th percentile) all because he was given the green light from Calipari to lay it all out on the floor.

Those defensive "struggles' per se is a fool's way of saying they didn't watch film.

"Defensively, so much was asked of him at Arkansas that I think, from a defensive standpoint, he's going to get better," Musselman said. "He's going to be able to create steals defensively, and then even [Alex Caraban], we played against him when he was at UConn, and that guy's as good of a role player, doing little things that maybe the average fan wouldn't notice. So two great pickups."

Ccoaches around the country just like Musselman took notice of Acuff's abilities and knew early on he'd be a special talent for many years to come in the NBA.

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