Darius Acuff Jr. finished preseason tied for 13th overall in the NBA with Damian Lillard and Paolo Banchero in points per game with 17.3. The next rookie on the list was Caleb Wilson who averaged 15.8 points per game (good for 33rd overall).
Acuff closed out the preseason with stat line averages of 17.3 points, 42% from the field. 42% from three, 84% from the free throw line, 3.8 assists, 1.8 rebounds, .8 steals, .8 blocks, 24 minutes per game, 4 games played.
Caveat to this: Acuff also took the most shots of the rookies. In fact, his 14.8 attempts per game was second only to Jayson Tatum in the entire league. Wilson was 5th with 13.6 attempts per game. Darryn Peterson attempted 11.3 shots per game and averaged 13.3 points.
So, the volume was definitely there, which gives him a slight advantage in terms of scoring opportunities compared to the other rookies, but the fact that he averaged 42% from the field and from three on those shots is a good sign, not to mention 84% from the free throw line. For a comparison on that, Wilson shot 55% from the line and Yaxel Lendeborg, who averaged 15.6 points per game, shot 65% from the line.
Acuff proved he belongs on the floor in preseason and proved he can score at a high clip at this level. His defense will have to continue to improve. And he will have to overcome the current state of the Kings.
The showing against the San Antonio Spurs in the final preseason game Friday was pretty atrocious for the team as a whole. Most interesting, Acuff seemed to take a backseat for primary ball handling duties to Ben Simmons. Simmons finished with 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in 26 minutes. Acuff finished with 13 points, 2 assists, and 1 rebound in 19 minutes. It could have just been a preseason test to see what Simmons can do; it could have been a glimpse of how what Doug Christie might try to do with playing Acuff off the ball; it could have been nothing, who knows.
It is anyone’s guess as to what Kangz might do. We all get to find out next week. The point is, the Kings look like they drafted an NBA player who can get buckets. What happens next is the scary part.
Kings waive players
Sacramento waived three players Saturday: Elfrid Payton, Viktor Lakhin and Tristen Newton.
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