Darius Acuff Jr. continues to emerge as top candidate for Kings’ 7th pick
Sam Amick: Darius Acuff Jr. remains the prospect most heavily linked to the Kings as Sacramento prepares to make the 7th pick in the NBA Draft
Watch: Sam Amick On Zach LaVine's Opt-out & Sacramento's Top Choice For The NBA Draft | 26 mins
As the Sacramento Kings prepare for Tuesday’s start of the 2026 NBA Draft, Arkansas star guard Darius Acuff Jr. continues to be the prospect most heavily linked to the organization.
During an appearance on Sactown Sports’ The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross, The Athletic‘s Sam Amick shared his latest intel on Sacramento’s approach with the seventh overall pick and indicated that, despite the team’s efforts to create uncertainty, Acuff remains the favorite.
“As far as the pick itself, there continues to be the most noise around Acuff,” Amick said.
The Kings have attempted to muddy the waters in recent weeks. Amick noted that Sacramento has “gone to somewhat great lengths to kind of cut into that narrative,” pointing to general manager Scott Perry’s visit with Houston guard Kingston Flemings’ family in San Antonio and Flemings’ workout in Sacramento.
Still, Amick acknowledged the longstanding connection between the Acuff family and Perry.
Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Arkansas Razorbacks looks on against the Arizona Wildcats during the first half in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at SAP Center on March 26, 2026 in San Jose, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
More on Darius Acuff Jr.
The Kings’ executive previously coached Darius Acuff Sr. at Eastern Kentucky in the 1990s, a relationship that has only intensified speculation surrounding the Arkansas standout.
“But like always, they’re one of the teams that they don’t really want everybody knowing exactly what they’re going to take, because if you’re trying to trade down, you’re trying to value your pick, you can’t have everybody knowing what you’re doing,” Amick said.
Acuff is coming off a remarkable freshman season at Arkansas, averaging 23.5 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc.
His breakout campaign earned SEC Player of the Year, SEC Rookie of the Year, and Consensus All-American honors, helping establish him as one of the most decorated prospects in this year’s class.
The 6-foot-2 guard has drawn differing opinions because of his size, but Amick believes Sacramento’s goals differ from those of teams focused solely on championship contention.
“I don’t think they are building with a championship-or-bust mentality,” Amick said. “Acuff would be dynamic, would be exciting, would help you win ball games.”
Darius Acuff Jr. #5 of the Arkansas Razorbacks looks on during the first half against the Ole Miss Rebels in the semifinal game of the 2026 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Bridgestone Arena on March 14, 2026 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images)
Amick also revealed that some evaluators hold an extremely high opinion of the Arkansas guard.
“I remember during March Madness watching an Arizona game and a former GM was at the game, and actually his opinion at the time was that he could see Acuff being worthy of the number one pick,” Amick said.
According to Amick, scouts have compared Acuff’s upside to stars such as Jalen Brunson and Allen Iverson.
“So you had real good talent evaluators saying this guy’s special,” Amick said. “At the end of the day, I’d probably handicap that being the pick, but Kingston seems to be loud as well.”
Check out the full conversation regarding Darius Acuff Jr. at the top of the page or by heading over to the Sactown Sports YouTube channel.
Listen to The Carmichael Dave Show with Jason Ross from 6 – 10 a.m. PDT, Monday through Friday, on Sactown Sports 1140.
More Sacramento Kings content from Sactown Sports
What is the next Sacramento Kings Offseason Event?
The Sacramento Kings are preparing for a crucial 2026 NBA Draft, which is set to take place from Tuesday, June 23rd, through Wednesday, June 24th.
Sacramento owns the 7th pick in the Draft, giving them a chance at selecting a talented player with upside, such as Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr., Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr., Houston’s Kingston Flemings, and Illinois guard Keaton Wagler, among others.
Be sure to stay locked into Sactown Sports for pre-draft workout news, player breakdowns, draft rumors, and MUCH more.
Upcoming Sacramento Kings & NBA Offseason Schedule
- Tuesday, June 23rd – NBA Draft (Round 1)
- Wednesday, June 24th – NBA Draft (Round 2)
- Tuesday, June 30th – NBA Free Agency negotiation period begins (3 PM PT)
- Saturday, July 4th – Monday, July 6th – California Classic at Golden 1 Center
- Thursday, July 9th – NBA Las Vegas Summer League begins
- Monday, July 13th – Free Agency moratorium ends / signings can become official
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Comments
1 Comments
Scott has some real leverage with the Acuff situation because of the past connections. Hard to tell if he really is the guy because of that, or just could be using it for diversion/deception purposes? A few more days and we're finally going to find out!