How Darius Acuff Jr. Can Break Two Kings Rookie Records

The Sacramento Kings come into the season with a new energy, thanks in large part to Darius Acuff Jr. The seventh overall pick comes in as the hopeful next star for Sacramento and will immediately be handed the keys to the kingdom in his first NBA season.

That gives Acuff a clear chance to cement his name in the Kings' record books as he leads the offense. He should immediately step into one of the highest-usage roles on the team. His efficiency may falter as we saw in Summer League, but the field goal attempts should be there throughout his first NBA season.

Looking at the records, it's easy to see Acuff sitting atop the rookie leaderboard following this season thanks to the high volume alone. But throw in his scoring ability, along with his passing, and he has a chance to snag two Sacramento Era records this season.

Most Points by a Rookie

Mar 11, 2017; Sacramento, CA, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Tyreke Evans (32) shoots over Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler (21) during the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The current record for most total points by a Kings rookie, in the Sacramento era, is 1,450, set by Tyreke Evans in his award-winning 2009-10 season. Evans finished with a historic 20, 5, and 5 stat line with 20.1 points per contest, but by playing just 72 games, that leaves the door open for Acuff to jump him this season.

Averaging that out to 82 games, Acuff would need to average 17.8 points per contest to pass Evans on the total points list. But as almost no one plays 82 games anymore, let's take out a few games for Acuff and assume he plays 72 like Evans. 20.2 points seems like a lot for a rookie, but Acuff is one of the best pure scorers from this year's loaded draft class.

To set the bar even higher, we could look at Oscar Robertson's 2,165 total points in his rookie season. But to hit that mark in an estimated 72 games played, Acuff would need to average 30.2 points per contest. I think it's safe to say Robertson's franchise record is safe.

Most Assists by a Rookie

What makes Acuff's potential so tantalizing is his mix of both scoring and passing, and he has not only a chance to snag the scoring rookie record, but the assist record as well. Tyus Edney is the current leader with 491 total assists in his 1995-96 rookie season, where he averaged 6.1 over 80 games played.

Acuff's scoring has gotten more attention, but there have already been murmurs around the Kings organization that he could approach double-digit assists in his first year. If he were to do that, he could coast to the Kings era record and even approach Robertson's mark of 690 total assists.

During Summer League, Acuff was consistently a pass ahead of the defense. Pairing him with the NBA-level talent, compared to the Summer League squad, should just help the numbers rise. It's hard to know how many of the veterans should be around, but the pick-and-roll between him and Sabonis could net him a few assists alone per game.

It's going to take health, but the door is open to come out guns blazing in his rookie season and set his sights on records for the Kings. Those records don't have the same cache as other teams around the league, but it would still lead to excitement as the Kings continue their rebuild with Acuff at the helm.

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