Do Not Overreact To Summer League

NBA Summer League is far too early to draw conclusions on rookie players. Keep the context in mind before overreacting.

Jul 13, 2026, 5:54 PM

Watch: Greg Swartz on Sabonis Trade Market, Darius Acuff & Kings Young Core | 20 mins

Remember when Louis King helped lead the Sacramento Kings to an NBA Las Vegas Summer League championship and won the MVP for the final game? Turns out the forward couldn’t carve out a reliable role in the NBA.

Summer League is messy basketball. It’s a group of players thrown together with hardly any time to prepare before their games begin, leaving little room for coaching and leading, and leaving players to understandably pursue their own personal agendas.

Drawing conclusions from those performances is shortsighted and almost always an overreaction. That’s not to say it’s useless context; it is the first time rookies get to play against high-caliber competition, albeit still a good bit below regular-season caliber. But context matters.

Darius Acuff Jr. has been discussed as the new centerpiece of the Kings since being drafted seventh overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, leaving plenty of eyes on him during the Kings’ games in Vegas and California.

Through four Summer League games, he’s been largely inefficient. Shooting 9/29 in his Summer League debut is a prime example. Judging any players off a few unorganized, chaotic Summer showings rather than their entire portfolio is a mistake.

Generational talent Victor Wembanyama went 2/13 in his Summer debut. Trae Young looked rough playing for the Hawks in Utah, to the point where people wondered whether the small guard would be able to adjust to the NBA. Alex Sarr went 0/15 in his first game, but still made All-Rookie First Team following an impressive rookie campaign.

Take a deep breath and understand the context of these unorganized, chaotic games. The effort regarding defense seems more reasonable since it is not context-specific.

It’s not to say that he’s definitely going to be an efficient and effective NBA scorer, but it’s far too early for anyone to know yet. Take these Summer League showings for what they are.

What is the next Sacramento Kings Offseason Event?

Darius Acuff Jr. & the Sacramento Kings will continue their Las Vegas Summer League slate on Tuesday afternoon at UNLV when they play the first game of a back-to-back.

Sacramento is set to face the sixth-overall pick, Mikel Brown Jr., and the Brooklyn Nets at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Sactown Sports will be ON-SITE in Las Vegas ALL WEEK LONG from July 12-19th! Be sure to remain locked into Sactown Sports for your Sacramento Kings Summer League news, analysis, and much more!