Top Prospect's Biggest Flaw Could Keep Dallas Mavericks From Drafting Him

The Dallas Mavericks are officially eliminated from postseason contention with 10 games remaining. Even though they will still be playing games, a lot of fans have already turned their attention to the 2026 NBA Draft. With how talented that draft looks to be, it's completely understandable to do.

One prospect drawing a lot of attention is Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr., who guided the Razorbacks to an SEC Championship and is currently in the Sweet 16. He even just signed a signature shoe deal with Reebok, only furthering the comparisons that some have tried to make to Allen Iverson.

Acuff 1 on the way. pic.twitter.com/oNvr5k5mY5
— Reebok (@Reebok) March 24, 2026

Acuff is an elite offensive weapon, averaging 23.3 PPG, 6.5 APG, and 3.1 RPG on 48.6/44.6/81.1 shooting splits. He led the SEC in scoring and assists, which led him to be named a consensus First-Team All-American.

That should make him an all-time prospect, and yet, he's not even projected to go in the top four right now. Why? Acuff is a horrific defender, and that has a lot of people questioning what he'll be in the NBA.

His defensive box plus/minus is just 0.8, which is incredibly subpar. The eye test backs it up, as he doesn't provide a lot of effort, is often out of position in off-ball situations, and is consistently put in ball screens because teams know it'll be an easy 1-on-2 situation.

Take his game against High Point in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament over the weekend. He was fantastic offensively, putting up 36 points and 6 assists on 11/22 shooting. However, his matchup, High Point's Rob Martin, put up 30 points. That's how it goes with Acuff.

If he were to become a good NBA player, he'd be an extreme outlier over the last 20+ years. Since 2002, here is a list of players at a power conference school who have averaged at least 20 PPG and 5 APG while having a DBPM of less than 1.0 in a season: Bryce Cotton (Providence), Aaron Holiday (UCLA), Rodney Rice (USC, this season), and Sharife Cooper (Auburn, 12 games). Holiday ended up being a decent rotational player in the NBA, but not someone you'd take with a lottery pick now. Cotton only played 23 games in the NBA. Sharife Cooper became a legendary flame-out. That doesn't scream top 10 pick.

I heard that Darius Acuff Jr. might be the worst defender in the NBA next year. Watched his defense during the SEC Championship to see if people were exaggerating.

It's pretty rough. pic.twitter.com/GbLRN9nH13
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) March 19, 2026

Dallas Mavericks Value Defense

As we've seen from the Mavericks in the last year, Jason Kidd really values players who can defend. Acuff is not that type of player. Maybe he ends up being the ultimate outlier, and some of his offensive production indicates that he might, it'd be extremely surprising to see him play for the Mavs.

Sure, they have versatile defenders like Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, and Naji Marshall, rip protectors like Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford, and a perfect veteran guard in Kyrie Irving, but those defensive shortcomings may be too much to ask.

Plus, the Sacramento Kings apparently value him highly. Anytime the Kings want something, every other franchise should do the opposite.

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