Acuff Done for the Summer - What it Means for Kings

Like many teams, the Sacramento Kings appear to be shutting down their star rookie, Darius Acuff Jr, for the rest of Summer League, according to Sacramento Observer's Mark Haynes.

Sources tell The @SacObserver that Sacramento Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. is not expected to play the remainder of Summer League. pic.twitter.com/Nxpi5a2iiO
— Mark Haynes (@markhaynesnba) July 16, 2026

It's was an up-and-down Summer League for Acuff. He showed both his tremendous offensive potential and ability to score on all three levels, but he also showed some or the poor defensive tendencies that everyone talked about leading up to the draft.

Through his five games, Acuff averaged 20.8 points, 4.6 assists, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks on 35% shooting from the field and 27% from three. The main talking point, outside of his defense, is his efficiency, but Acuff will be the first to tell you that he has to shoot better and be more efficient.

The other key component of his game is his turnovers. He averaged 3.8 giveaways per game, but that's likely, or at least hopefully, something that will go down as he gets more chemistry with his new teammates.

Darius Acuff Jr. creates separation and DRILLS the 👌

The #7 overall pick has 17 points for the @SacramentoKings! pic.twitter.com/DNlNeQt5XR
— NBA (@NBA) July 14, 2026

In the end, Acuff showed more than enough to head into the regular season with excitement. It shows right away when watching him why he was a top-10 pick. He has a smoothness and calm to his game that is evident from the jump. And even with the mistakes with turnovers and defense, he looks like a franchise-caliber player. There's no point in the Kings rushing him back to the court for another game just to see if he can make more shots.

Who Else To Watch

Jan 23, 2026; Portland, Oregon, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Jonathan Mogbo (2) shoots the ball during warm ups before playing against the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Shutting down Acuff will also give the Kings a closer look at the players on the fringe of the roster. There's no question that the seventh overall pick is going to be starting for the Kings, but there is still a lot more to learn about the likes of fellow rookies Emanuel Sharp and Alex Karaban, as well as the rest of the team fighting for their NBA lives.

Sharp has excelled all Summer League, and Karaban had his breakout game yesterday, and both should get a chance to have prominent roles for the rest of Summer League if they are still going to play.

It also opens up the door for two-way player Jonathan Mogbo and unsigned Marquel Sutton. With Acuff, Nique Clifford, and Maxime Raynaud all out yesterday, Mogbo played a team-high 28:07 minutes and finished with 9 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal. He only made three of his 11 field goals, but the whole team struggled to make much of anything yesterday.

We'll have to wait and see if any of the other rotational players suit up again for the Kings, but everyone can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that Acuff will go into the regular season healthy and with things to improve on.

It would have been great for Acuff to dominate Summer League and lead the Kings to their third exhibition season championship, but at least he doesn't look like a bust. Defensive concerns aside, which should theoretically be easier to fix as hustle and awareness problems, as compared to physical limitations, Acuff looks ready to go. Bring on the regular season.

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