NBA Rookie of the Year Odds Favor Kings' Darius Acuff Jr.

The Sacramento Kings' new guard is already viewed as one of the NBA's top rookies.

Feb 25, 2026; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. prior to the game against the Texas A&M Aggies at Bud Walton Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Sacramento Kings unsurprisingly took a chance on Darius Acuff Jr. with the seventh overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, hoping that the 19-year-old Detroit native can become the franchise's new star point guard. Of course, he will need some time and development to get there, but he could be the NBA's top rookie this season.

Despite six players getting selected ahead of him in the draft, Acuff Jr. has a strong chance to be the 2026-27 NBA Rookie of the Year. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Acuff Jr. as the fourth-most likely Rookie of the Year candidate with +470 odds to win the award.

Full look at ROTY candidates

Jun 23, 2026; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver greets the seventh pick in the 2026 NBA draft, Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. after he was selected by the Sacramento Kings at Barclays Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Acuff Jr. stacks up surprisingly well against his top rookie peers. Of course, the top three picks have the best odds to win the award, but Acuff Jr. is right there with them. Here's a full look at the top ROTY candidates, according to FanDuel.

1. Cameron Boozer, Grizzlies (+250)
2. Darryn Peterson, Jazz (+320)
3. AJ Dybantsa, Wizards (+430)
4. Darius Acuff Jr., Kings (+470)
5. Caleb Wilson, Bulls (+1000)
6. Mikel Brown Jr., Nets (+1600)
7. Yaxel Lendeborg, Warriors (+2500)
8. Keaton Wagler, Clippers (+3300)
9. Brayden Burries, Bucks (+5000)
10. Christian Anderson Jr., Hornets (+8000)

As we see, there is a clear top four among these ROTY candidates: the top three picks in the 2026 NBA Draft and Acuff Jr. The new Kings rookie is even listed ahead of three players who were drafted ahead of him, with better odds than Caleb Wilson (No. 4 pick), Mikel Brown Jr. (No. 6 pick), and Keaton Wagler (No. 5 pick).

Does Acuff Jr. have a real shot at ROTY?

Of course, Acuff Jr. can be viewed as a Rookie of the Year candidate, but does he have a real shot at winning it? Simply put, yes. Acuff Jr. will have the ball in his hands a ton in Sacramento, even as a rookie, and should be able to put up the stats to make a case for the award.

Fortunately for Acuff Jr., team success rarely plays a factor in voting for the award. The Kings will probably fall short of a play-in tournament appearance and could even finish last in the Western Conference, but Acuff Jr. should have a strong rookie year.

Darius Acuff Jr. vs Nets in NBA SL Debut..

25 PTS (9-29 FG, 1-9 3PT, 5-7 FTs)
4 AST
2 REBS
1 STLS

Should he have been the 1st PG off the board??? pic.twitter.com/62X2q41ysa

— Frankie Vision (@Frankie_Vision) July 5, 2026

Unfortunately for Acuff Jr., though, he is facing off against a stacked top three. Dybantsa, Peterson, and Boozer will all make big impacts in their rookie years. Dybantsa and Peterson will have to share the ball with other stars, likely hurting their stats, but Boozer, especially, is Acuff Jr.'s biggest threat.

Similar to Acuff Jr., Boozer will have the ball a lot as a rookie in Memphis, but has a much more all-around game that could catch the attention of award voters. Regardless, it is much too early to say, as all we have out of Acuff Jr. so far is one Summer League game, but it should not shock anyone if he finishes in the top three of ROTY voting.

Sacramento's ROTY history

Unfortunately for the Kings, winning Rookie of the Year is not necessarily a sign of great things to come. The only player in franchise history to win the award was Tyreke Evans in 2010, who averaged 20.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game in his debut season. Evans undoubtedly gave hope to Kings fans, but after four years, his time with the franchise was already done, with no team success to show for his time there.

Rookie Tyreke Evans was a problem.

As a rookie Evans averaged 20/5/6 and 2 Steals a game. He was also named the ROTY.

Evans was also one of 5 rookies who averaged 20/5/5 and the list includes Luka Doncic, Michael Jordan, Lebron James, and Oscar Robertson. pic.twitter.com/vmwTdjjXuA

— KJ (@KJScouting) June 1, 2024

Even though Evans was not able to, Acuff Jr. has the opportunity to help turn things around in Sacramento. Of course, winning Rookie of the Year is not the end goal, but it would be a great way to give the franchise some hope for better things to come.

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