Darius Acuff Jr. didn’t need a clean shooting line to make his first mark in the NBA.
The former Arkansas guard dropped 25 points for the Sacramento Kings in his unofficial NBA debut on July 4th, and he added four assists in a summer league win over the Brooklyn Nets.
One of those helpers set up Nique Clifford for a game-sealing three with five seconds left at Golden 1 Center.
Sacramento picked Acuff No. 7 overall in this year’s NBA Draft. Saturday marked his first taste of pro action after just one season in Fayetteville.
The Detroit native looked like the same aggressive scorer Hogs fans got used to watching, even if the shot chart told a messier story.
Shaky shooting line didn’t slow him down
Acuff needed 29 shots to get his 25 points. He finished 9-for-29 from the field, missed eight of nine three-point tries and knocked down five of seven free throws.
That’s a steep drop from the 48.4% shooting and 44% three-point mark he posted last year with Arkansas. It’s also not surprising for a 19-year-old facing NBA competition for the first time.
Points on the board matter more than a perfect shooting line, and Acuff found a way to get his in a winning effort.
Anyone who watched Acuff during his lone year as a Razorback knows this pattern well. He opened his college career 5-for-16 against Michigan State back in November. He shot 6-for-18 in a win over Louisville, 7-for-18 against Ole Miss and 7-for-19 in a win over Texas A&M, scoring at least 16 points in each of those games despite the inefficiency.
Volume scoring has always been part of the package
When Acuff gets hot, the numbers look different. He hit 16 of 27 shots for 49 points against Alabama back in February.
He made 11 of 21 attempts for 37 points in a SEC Tournament win over Oklahoma, capped by a go-ahead jumper.
Acuff followed that with a 7-for-21 outing against Ole Miss and a 9-for-20 game in the SEC Championship against Vanderbilt.
Kings fans shouldn’t read too much into one rough shooting night.
Acuff’s shot comes and goes, but he’s shown he can still deliver when a game is on the line.
How fast his scoring translates to the NBA level could determine whether he factors into next summer’s Rookie of the Year conversation.
Key takeaways
- Darius Acuff Jr. scored 25 points on 9-for-29 shooting in his NBA Summer League debut, helping Sacramento beat Brooklyn
- His shooting struggles mirror a pattern from his lone Arkansas season, where he still scored heavily during off nights
- Acuff’s ability to produce points despite inefficiency could shape his Rookie of the Year chances next season
