How Darius Acuff Jr. Can Run Away With Rookie of the Year Award

The Sacramento Kings have little to no expectations to compete and get back to the playoffs this season. Not only is nearly everyone projecting them to miss out on the postseason once again, but they are projected to finish near or even at the very bottom of the standings come season's end.

While high expectations can lead to disappointment, something Kings fans are far too familiar with over the last handful of seasons since the Beam Team shocked the NBA world, low expectations can do the exact opposite. It creates the opportunity to surprise everyone and stand out among the crowd, which is exactly what the Kings did in the magical 2022-23 season.

And in that playoff-drought-breaking year, they walked away with a handful of postseason awards. De'Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis both made the All-NBA third team, with Fox also taking home the inaugural Clutch Player of the Year award; Mike Brown won Coach of the Year, and Monte McNair was rewarded as Executive of the Year. Simply put, the Kings cleaned house in accolades for the year, with a lot of it being the shock and awe of exceeding expectations.

And while the Kings have a looooong way to go to get back to the playoffs this year, it's setting them up for the same type of surprise this year. Again, not something that is likely, but in order to pull off the feat, you have to almost be ignored heading into the season, a category that Sacramento unfortunately fits right into.

Darius Acuff Jr. Leads Kings

If the Kings are better than expected, the odds are high that seventh-overall pick Darius Acuff Jr. will have a large role in the improvement. It's not absurd to picture it, as the 19-year-old has an extremely polished game for a young rookie guard. He didn't shoot well during Summer League, but he showed great vision and the ability to change speeds and get to his spots. Coming into the NBA gives him a huge head start and the ability to jump-start his career right away.

To help even more, he should have the keys to the kingdom as he comes in as the hopeful franchise player to build around. He's walking into not only a starting role, but a high-usage role where he's running the Kings' offense.

He could easily average 20 points and 8+ assists on pure volume alone, which should be enough to get everyone's attention.

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Feb 8, 2025; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings center Domantas Sabonis (11) dunks the ball against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first quarter at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

But Acuff won't be able to do it alone. Scoring a boatload of points and dishing out assist after assist is great, but if the Kings win 20 games, it'll easily get swept under the rug as good numbers on a bad team.

In order for Acuff to steal the award from the likes of AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and Cameron Boozer, among others, the Kings will have to win nearly 40 games. And to do that, Acuff will need some serious help. Enter Domantas Sabonis, the All-NBA center who still resides in Sacramento.

Sabonis and Acuff could become a fearsome duo in the pick-and-roll, as Sabonis is one of the best screeners in the game. And Sabonis' stats shouldn't take away from Acuff's, as they'll contribute to the team in different ways. Both can pass, but the two of them will likely be the two leading facilitators on the team one way or another. Sabonis has a lot to prove coming back from an injury-riddled season, and even if he isn't in the Kings' long-term plans, he could have a bounce-back year after being written off by many.

There's a lot that needs to go right, but the path is there for Acuff to step into the NBA spotlight and steal the show. Now we just have to wait and see if the Kings are able to shock everyone once again.

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