Should Kings Be Concerned About Acuff's Summer League Performance So Far?

Stephen Curry, Jalen Brunson, Trae Young, Nikola Jokic, Derrick Rose, and Sacramento Kings’ rookie Darius Acuff Jr. all share one trait that may be slightly surprising: they (up to this point) shot poorly in Summer League.

While some have had better careers than others, all of them have been extremely successful in the NBA, and that is a reminder that a rough Summer League performance shouldn’t convince you to throw out an entire NCAA season of data. When it comes to Acuff Jr. and his performances thus far, there’s no reason to sound the alarm, but there are a few things to call out.

Mikel Brown Jr. picks Darius Acuff's pocket in transition, then crosses him over and hits the pull-up middy. pic.twitter.com/jSew2VIVfo
— Erik Slater (@ErikSlater_) July 14, 2026

Cooling Down

At Arkansas, Acuff Jr. was one of the most efficient volume scorers in the NCAA, shooting 48% from the field, 44% from three, and 81% from the line while handling the heaviest offensive workload on the team. So far, he hasn’t been able to get it going from really anywhere on the floor for the Summer Kings, although he did start to turn things around against the Brooklyn Nets in the Kings’ most recent Vegas outing.

More important than raw percentages is asking how hard a player is working to create offense, and what their shot selection looks like. Acuff Jr. hasn’t had a ton of trouble creating open looks for himself, with one exception. He hasn’t been able to create the same separation that he could in college. To be fair, he has had to deal with some very good defenders, but that will also be the case in the regular season, and it’s clear that he’ll need some more time to adapt to the length and athleticism of the NBA.

Darius Acuff Jr. drives and scores on Danny Wolf, Emanuel Sharp hits his 5th and 6th triple, Acuff hits the step back over Saraf, Alex Karaban nice fake and layup.

Acuff with another layup after the Nets gave up on help defense.
Sharp with a nice steal on Saraf.

With replays. pic.twitter.com/FcBAAqfvFH
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) July 14, 2026

Acuff Jr. has had stretches where he’s creating great looks for himself and others, where he’s forcing shots left and right. The one thing I’ll add is that I don’t think the offensive context is doing him any favors. Sacramento has struggled to create good shots and has turned the ball over a ton so far in Vegas; much of that is not on Acuff Jr. either.

It’s a lot to jump from one year in college to immediately being the primary scorer for your team, even in Summer League. It’s fair to expect more out of him after such an efficient college season, but it’s important to remember that he’s 19 years old and will continue to get better.

The Mental Side

Feb 7, 2026; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) reacts after a basket during the first half against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Humphrey Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If there is one area where Acuff Jr. really does need to improve, Summer League or not, is with his engagement. On both offense and defense, Acuff Jr. has made mistakes from simply not being mentally in the game. From getting blocked by AJ Dybantsa and allowing him to score on the other end while jogging back to missing a lay-up and taking his time getting up, Acuff Jr. has had his share of moments where it just doesn’t seem like he’s always locked in. Maybe some of that is just it being Summer League, or maybe it’s the lack of conditioning; either way, I do think it's something to monitor.

“You want to see how quickly they can adjust to the pro game — not just physically, but mentally,” another evaluator shared. “It’s not just about buckets. It’s about focus, learning systems and doing the little things right.”

This quote from an anonymous scout in the 2025 article by Tobias Bass in The Athletic came to mind when watching Acuff Jr and I don’t mean that it has been all bad, just that there have been enough moments to warrant some questions. Rookies, especially young rookies, can improve the mental side of the game as well, and it is possible that the Kings’ staff can help him with that. In fact, I’d argue that is really the root of most issues for him so far this summer because when he is locked in, he’s made plays on both ends.

AJ Dybantsa showcases his skills on both ends 👏

Block.
Bucket.

The 1st overall pick has 7 PTS in Q1 of @NBASummerLeague action! pic.twitter.com/W7IMfw4Prj
— NBA (@NBA) July 13, 2026

Looking Ahead

Acuff Jr. would be far from the only guard to take some time to get adjusted. Anthony Edwards made a huge jump from his rookie to sophomore season. Former King De’Aaron Fox also would be another example, among tons of other All-Stars. It’s also important to remember this is Summer League and Acuff jr. has yet to play a regular-season game.

The Kings’ Summer League roster also doesn’t have much of a secondary playmaking option, putting a ton of the burden on Acuff Jr. In the regular season, Domantas Sabonis and Zach LaVine will be able to take some of that off of him. Whether that results in wins or not is another story, but giving Acuff Jr. opportunities off-ball and next to teammates that can punish defenses will only make things easier for him.

Acuff Jr. should be given plenty of room to grow and make mistakes, but making strides in his engagement levels needs to be a major focus. There are too many examples of talented guards who don’t impact winning because they cannot manage to do the little things. Acuff Jr. clearly wants to win, and to do that, he’ll have to do more than what he’s shown in Summer League so far.

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