Ben Simmons Sends Hopeful Message to Kings Rookie Darius Acuff Jr.

Guess what day it is! No, not hump day… It's NBA media day, which means that we’re less than a week away from preseason basketball. The Sacramento Kings have a ton of new additions via the draft and free agency who had a ton of eyes on them as they met with local media today, but none more in the spotlight than Ben Simmons and Darius Acuff Jr.

Simmons, a former number one overall pick, was the same age as Acuff Jr. when he got drafted and knows what it is like to have that weight on his shoulders. When asked what advice he would have for the 19-year-old rookie, here’s what Simmons had to say.

“There’s gonna be a lot of advice I give him throughout the year… I think just stay even, don’t let the highs get too high, the lows get too low,” Simmons told the Kings media on Monday.

Ben Simmons appears to be extremely motivated to prove people wrong. He said he wants to dominate every time he steps on the court: pic.twitter.com/iVzW69jusQ
— James Ham (@James_HamNBA) September 28, 2026

Blocking the Noise

Simmons’ advice is exactly what you should be telling a rookie who might feel like the franchise’s hopes are resting on his shoulders, and in Darius’ case, there’s a real reason to feel that way. The Kings slipped in the lottery and fell out of the top five, but were ecstatic to see the SEC Player of the Year fall to seventh. It’s clear the Kings see Acuff Jr. as their future cornerstone, but as Simmons knows, living up to those kinds of expectations isn’t easy.

“You’re so young and so fresh it’s all new, I think everything for him is just about learning and getting the details of the game down,” he said.

Acuff Jr. won’t be sharing the court with Joel Embiid, nor will there be expectations to make the playoffs like in Simmons’ first year. However, the pressure to pull the Kings out of mediocrity will be looming throughout the year.

For a player like Acuff Jr., who has all the talent in the world, those little things that Ben brought up will be vital to hone in on, especially when it comes to the defensive side of the ball. At Arkansas, head coach John Calipari was clear that he didn’t expect much of his star guard on the defensive end, and now Darius will have to adjust to handling a heavy burden on offense while staying locked in defensively.

Ben Simmons Defense (19/20 Season)pic.twitter.com/bgx6quLXL7 https://t.co/VF5vwjRKO4
— Every Bucket (@EveryBucketNBA) August 7, 2026

Simmons wasn’t expected to be the scorer that Acuff Jr. is, but he does know something about being a primary playmaker and the team’s best defender. Barring a miracle, Acuff Jr. won’t be a positive defensive player this season, but he can make a great first impression by learning from players like Simmons and staying focused on doing the little things in his rookie season.

It’ll be a challenge for him to show promise on that end after what we saw from him in college; luckily, Simmons sees Darius’ work ethic already and thinks he’ll be just fine.

“He’s got a great work ethic, I’m excited to see him grow and be a leader… so he’s getting there so I’m impressed,” Simmons said about his new teammate.

How Simmons Can Help on the Court

Simmons isn’t just in Sacramento to provide veteran mentorship; he fits into a very specific role that will be key in helping Acuff Jr. get comfortable in the league. Simmons is a non-shooter and likely never will be a shooter, but he can handle the ball at 6’10”, which provides a ton of optionality when he’s on the court.

One option is playing Darius off-ball while Ben handles point guard duties, which allows Acuff Jr. to get a head of steam coming off handoffs, pin-downs, and other actions where he won’t have to break down defenders from the top of the key. Of course, Domantas Sabonis offers some of this functionality as well, but the benefit of having Simmons out there is that you get another plus defender on the court.

Darius Acuff Jr. with great 1v1 defense vs. Will Riley, ends up blocking him under the rim (with a replay) pic.twitter.com/MSjQGnuERN
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) July 13, 2026

We don’t know how Simmons will look once the Kings step on the court for their first preseason game, and he’ll certainly have some rust to knock off. Still, it’s reasonable to expect that a healthy Simmons will still be a solid, switchable defender.

As I mentioned, Acuff Jr. will have his struggles defensively this season, which makes it that much more important to insulate him on that end while he adjusts to the speed of the game. He’s not the only King who struggles on defense either, and Simmons should help Sabonis, Zach LaVine, and others by taking on tougher matchups.

“Pointing” in the Right Direction

As Simmons alluded to, there will be a lot of advice to give to Acuff Jr. throughout his first season in the NBA. Beyond paying attention to the little things and learning how to be a positive defender, Ben’s experience as a lead guard will be huge for Darius as he figures out how to balance scoring and setting up his teammates.

I don’t think anyone wants Acuff Jr. to pass up open layups; I can see a world where Simmons’ unselfishness can make a big impact on the young guard, though. Regardless of what Simmons ends up looking like on the court, his demeanor at media day and understanding of his role in Acuff Jr.’s development is a great sign for Sacramento.

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