Kings Secretly Worked Out Darius Acuff Jr

So far, the Sacramento Kings have kept their draft workouts relatively private. Until a few days ago, it sounded like the Kings hadn’t worked out any of their possible lottery selections, with Keaton Wagler being the first to be rumored to stop by the state capital.

While Wagler is certainly a big name in the 2026 draft, there’s another target that the Beam Team has reportedly been eyeing, and it sounds like the Kings did, in fact, sneak him in for a workout under our noses, per Sean Cunningham.

According to sources, former Arkansas star Darius Acuff Jr. worked out for the Kings in Sacramento last week. It was not publicized and there was no media availability following his workout.
— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) June 15, 2026

Chosen one?

Darius Acuff Jr. is a relatively polarizing player, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at his statistics. The SEC player of the year averaged 23.5 points a game as a freshman to go along with over six assists while shooting 44% from three. On the surface, this looks like one of the best seasons for a one-and-done guard in years, and it was.

While Arkansas didn’t make it as far as they planned in the NCAA tournament, Acuff Jr. seemed to get better and better each game that he played against tougher competition. The Detroit native averaged 36 points across his two NCAA tournament games to go along with six assists, leading the Razorbacks. Before the big dance, he averaged over 30 points and seven assists in the SEC tournament, culminating in a massive win over Vanderbilt in the SEC championship.

Arkansas Darius Acuff Jr. pic.twitter.com/prqXfg19nk
— Pitless (@pitlessball) March 27, 2026

There’s no doubt Acuff Jr. will be able to score the ball at the next level and would immediately be the most exciting player in Sacramento the day he steps foot in Golden 1. Qualms about his size were put to rest during the combine, where he measured in at 6-foot-2 barefoot and over 185 pounds, with a 6-foot-7 wingspan. While that’s not necessarily something to write home about, the numbers were much better than what most had expected he would come in at.

He was also somehow incredibly turnover-averse despite his high usage, averaging just 2.1 turnovers to 6.4 assists per game. If all this is true, then why shouldn’t Darius Acuff Jr. be number one on the King board?

Not All That Glitters Is Gold

Before we get to the real elephant in the room that everyone is waiting for, let’s start with a slightly smaller animal. In the theme of Arkansas, let’s go with a “pig in the room.” Acuff Jr. was clearly an elite shooter at Arkansas this season, but that wasn’t exactly the case before he landed on campus.

Acuff Jr. was still a top prospect coming out of Detroit, but his shot selection and decision-making definitely weren’t strong suits just yet. As you can see below, Acuff’s lights-out shooting is sort of a new phenomenon.

Let's look at Darius Acuff's shooting numbers

As we all know, he shot the ball really well this season at Arkansas.

Was he always that good of a shooter, like in HS?

Not really..

-He's probably improved his shooting a bit so he's better than than the 30% he shot pre-NCAA… pic.twitter.com/ImAf8QOQ5T
— On Ball Creator (@onballcreator) June 13, 2026

Acuff’s shooting translating to the NBA is less of a worry, partially because his shot selection had exponentially improved and partially because of the aforementioned elephant in the room. Defensive metrics never really tell the whole story for a prospect, and while Acuff’s are certainly not good, you would have to watch him defend to see what analysts are most worried about when it comes to the possible seventh overall pick.

What you’ll see isn’t exactly what you would be looking for from a lead guard, even one with as much offensive responsibility as Acuff.

Darius Acuff talks defense and guarding his matchup with Draymond

“You can ask any of my coaches in college, no matter how many defensive mistakes I made every night, if they tried to put me on a 2 or a 3, I'm like 'man I'm not guarding no 3, I play the point man, I'm guarding… pic.twitter.com/SolK0OeACq
— The Draymond Green Show (@DraymondShow) June 10, 2026

For a team with a head coach who made his name on the defensive side of the ball and a general manager who continuously preaches about effort and accountability, Acuff doesn’t necessarily seem like a fit. However, the caveat to any defensively deficient player is that they can make up for it and still win championships. We’re talking about a very select few players, a list that now includes Jalen Brunson. The question is, can Darius Acuff Jr. reach those heights?

Outlier Star or Empty Calories?

For the Kings, who were near the bottom of the pack on both sides of the ball, the decision is tough. If the Kings envision Acuff leading the franchise to an NBA championship, they would need to find the personnel to match up with his strengths. There’s obviously a path to that, but is it the path of least resistance to building a winning team?

I’m not sure, but I hope Scott Perry and the Kings are confident in their answer to that question.

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