Acuff has best showing of Summer League, but Kings lose to Nets
Darius Acuff Jr. had a much-needed performance, but that was one of the lone silver linings from the Sacramento Kings' blowout loss to Brooklyn.
Watch: Is This The First Sacramento Kings Rebuild EVER? | 1 min
The result of an NBA Summer League is virtually meaningless in the long-run, and the Sacramento Kings can take solace in that following Tuesday’s ugly showing against the Brooklyn Nets.
Sacramento fell to 1-2 in Las Vegas as the Nets took an early double-digit lead and never looked back, leading by as many as 34 points en route to a 115-83 win at the Thomas & Mack Center at UNLV.
After losing to Brooklyn, the Kings no longer have a path to the Summer League Playoffs, which are set for this weekend.
It may have been a game to forget, but Sacramento had a few bright spots during the loss, with seventh overall pick Darius Acuff Jr.’s breakthrough performance coming at a good time as hot-takes and critiques roll in regarding the franchise guard’s efficiency.
Summer League is winding down, but the Kings finally got to witness their prized draft pick score at will while posting his best shooting percentages yet.
Acuff and-1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/sOJvaNNuio
— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 14, 2026
NBA Las Vegas Summer League: Kings vs. Nets takeaways
Sacramento was unable to string together consecutive stops against Washington on Sunday night, leading to their first loss here in Las Vegas. The start of Tuesday’s game featured a similar issue.
Not only did the Kings allow the Nets to shoot 10-of-14 (71%) from the floor, they also turned the ball over eight times, leading to an 11-0 advantage in fast-break points for Brooklyn.
The Nets led by as many as 30 points during the first half, eventually taking a 22-point lead into the break as Sacramento struggled to contain Brooklyn’s duo of Egor Denim (20 first-half points) and Drake Powell (14 points).
Demin and Powell combined to match the Kings’ first-half scoring output of 34 points, although it wasn’t all bad for the Summer League Beam Team.
While Sacramento’s start put them in an insurmountable hole, second-round pick Emanuel Sharpe was one of the Kings’ bright spots during an overall forgettable 20 minutes of basketball. The 45th pick in last month’s NBA Draft scored a team-high 14 points while hitting all four of the team’s three-point field goals before the break.
Of course, Sharpe is already looking like a difference-maker on the defensive end, and the Houston product’s intensity never wavered, no matter how ugly the scoreboard looked.
Sharpe finished the night with 23 points on seven-of-12 shooting from the field (six-of-11 from downtown) to improve his three-point shooting percentage to 10/25 (40%) in Las Vegas.
Sharp from deep 🏹
⠀
Splash of the Game presented by @KJWines pic.twitter.com/cofAXdl7ce— Sacramento Kings (@SacramentoKings) July 14, 2026
Maxime Raynaud was impressive during Sunday’s loss to the Wizards (20 points and 12 rebounds), but the second-year big struggled to find his footing against a sizable Brooklyn frontline that controlled the paint for the majority of the night.
The All-Rookie Second Team center had some chippy moments with Demin throughout the afternoon, and his frustrations were only amplified amid a seven-turnover performance.
Raynaud finished the night with just three points (one-of-three shooting) and four rebounds while picking up three fouls over just 15 minutes of action.
With Raynaud struggling and the Nets continuing to attack the paint in transition, Sacramento had little hope of a comeback, although a strong burst of scoring near the end of the third quarter from Acuff made things interesting for a moment.
Speaking of Acuff…
Acuff Breaks Through
Entering play on Tuesday, Darius Acuff Jr. was shooting eight-of-31 (26%) from three-point range and shooting 31 percent from the field over four appearances this summer.
As outside noise grew louder regarding the Arkansas product’s efficiency, Acuff turned in his best performance yet at an ideal time.
The 19-year-old didn’t shy away from being the most aggressive player on the floor for the Kings, ending the day with 26 points and five assists while converting nine of his 18 attempts.
Acuff had some impressive and-ones in transition, scoring against some physical Nets defenders, and his 16-point third quarter was arguably his best stretch of basketball we have seen him play thus far in Summer League.
26 POINTS for Darius Acuff Jr. 😳
He scored 16 of his 26 in the 3Q… watch the 7th overall pick play in the 4Q now on Prime! pic.twitter.com/1VcWJuJ6pt
— NBA (@NBA) July 14, 2026
Summer League performances need to be taken with a grain of salt, but that hasn’t been the consensus around the basketball media space in recent days, especially when it comes to Acuff.
Defense has been a weakness for Acuff going back to his college days in Arkansas last season, but his shooting numbers thus far in Summer League caused some to sound the alarm after just a handful of games.
Tuesday’s showing was a reminder that Acuff has the skills to be a 20-point scorer at the NBA level, and while the defense will continue to be a work in progress, it was always unlikely that his shockingly low shooting percentages indicated cause for concern.
Summer is for learning and experiences, and whether Acuff shoots 50 percent or 30 percent, the most important thing is that the Kings’ new franchise guard gets a taste of basketball outside the college game.
There’s a long way to go until training camps open in the fall, and if this was the last time we see Acuff in uniform until Media Day, it was quite a way to go out.
Sacramento will be playing the second game of a back-to-back on Wednesday and has already been eliminated from playoff contention, meaning it’s unlikely we see Acuff again–but the Kings have yet to establish or announce a plan for the final two games in Las Vegas.
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What is the next Sacramento Kings Offseason Event?
Darius Acuff Jr. & the Sacramento Kings will continue their Las Vegas Summer League slate on Wednesday afternoon at UNLV when they play the second game of a back-to-back.
Sacramento is set to face the Boston Celtics at 5 p.m. on Wednesday 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!
Upcoming Sacramento Kings Offseason Schedule
- Thursday, July 9th – Sunday, July 19th – NBA Las Vegas Summer League
- August TBD – 2026-27 NBA Schedule release
- Late September – NBA training camps begin
2026 Sacramento Kings Las Vegas Summer League Schedule
- Wednesday, July 15: vs. Boston Celtics – 5 p.m. PT (ESPN 2)
- Final game TBD
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Comments
1 Comments
Good to see him have a really solid game, while being efficient. Looked pretty dynamic in the 3rd Q!