This week at Sacramento Kings training camp, rookie Darius Acuff Jr. was asked about getting extra shots up at the end of practice. He didn’t offer an elaborate explanation about what a hard worker he is or a long list of things he wants to accomplish in the league.
“I just got here. So, I ain’t really did nothing to show nobody yet,” Acuff Jr. said. “That’s kind of been my motto my whole life, just putting work in. If I see something that I didn’t do well today, I’m going to do it after [practice], just try to work on it.”
Not much to dissect there, and really that is the point. The rookie does not seem interested in getting into long explanations about who he is. He is not wanting to provide detailed stories about the work he puts in. Doug Christie is taking that on for him. He isn’t praising his own maturity. Instead, Domantas Sabonis is calling him “very poised.” And when Acuff does discuss himself, what he usually says ends up back at the same spot: what he still needs to do better.
Christie’s assessment of the rookie this week is meaningful: “He’s first one in, last one out. Works extremely hard, takes coaching, watches film; like the kid is a machine,” Christie said.
Staying late for some extra shots is a nice little training camp narrative, hearing it from the head coach is part of a pattern appearing around Acuff Jr.
For example, through three games of NBA Summer League, he was averaging 22 points, 4.3 assists, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1 block, but he wasn’t interested in discussing that. Instead, he said: “If I played better, I think we’d be winning by a lot more points.” He called for improvement from himself on both ends of the floor while saying his teammate Emanuel Sharp was the team’s best player through three games. He wasn’t trying to convince anyone how good he is; he shared where he needed to be better.
Go back a little further. At Arkansas, following a game in which he scored 31 points and had 6 assists, he assessed himself like this: “I gotta be more of a leader on defense.”
So, a trend of accountability, humility and a willingness to focus on improvement.
None of this guarantees he will be a star NBA player, or even a starting NBA point guard. Having humility doesn’t get rid of the mistakes rookies make, or make a shot fall, or improve defense. Being coachable doesn’t help learning the speed of the league or make how to run an offense at this level easier. There will be difficult stretches and head-scratching plays. But when you start connecting what is being said by him and others a consistent picture of the person behind the prospect starts to appear.
And quite possibly, the most interesting aspect of Acuff Jr. so far is that he isn’t trying to convince us of anything with words. He doesn’t need to tell us how poised or mature he is. He doesn’t seem particularly interested in selling us on himself at all.
He seems like a guy about one thing: playing ball, the best he can.
Without saying much at all, he’s showing us quite a bit.
Sorry, but what?
I sure feel like this franchise is putting a lot of eggs in this kid’s basket. He makes for the 5th PG drafted in the lottery in the Vivek era. Hopefully he’s the one this team can be built around. Time will tell.
Because Doug’s words carry so much weight.
Doug always appears to me like he’s in over his head. Don’t think he’s a very good coach and he’s stubborn of oblivious.
I like that a cuff has some possibilities of being good but we will see. And I also like having Simmons out there and sharp. At least maybe some interesting players to watch.
I don’t know that they’re gonna be any good anytime soon and they still have to get rid of Levine and Sabonis and all the trash, including the owner
why not both?
I don’t remember a HC I trusted less than Doug, with perhaps the exception of Walton. He’s like the Vlade Divac of Head Coaches.
Acuff has a big hill to climb, as an undersized scoring lead guard who likely will be an under average defender. This archetype is not valued in the current NBA (Trae Young), which is why I didn’t like the pick that much. We’ll see.
That was a mic typo. Supposed to say – stubbornly oblivious.
so I would agree with you. He is both.
Acuff will make a fine PG for a legitimate NBA organization.
Some playoff team will benefit from all the time and player development. Acuff must serve his time as a Kangz .
Are you suggesting Kangz actually belongs to the Development League?
I have to admit, I am letting myself get moderately excited about watching the Kings again. Last year I couldnt watch because I was always hoping they would lose.
I dont know if the new lottery system will work long term but one thing is sure, I can watch this year and root for these guys to win.
I’ve been a fan for 40 years and even though we might not win a lot of games this year, at least I am not plugging my nose while rooting for guys like Matt Barnes. Acuff wasnt my first choice but since i know nothing, he might actually turn into a good player.
Go Kings!!
Yikes. I think I done drunk the Koolaid. Acuff was “better” statistically than Fox as a college player and in SL. I think he will become as good as Fox was. Kool-aid
DS will get back to his strengths- perhaps a bit less. LaVine can score
There is more length- Simmonds, Precious and Hunter,
I look at the duds line up and ask- is not the Kings lineup better?
Predict: duds in bottom 3, Kings top of non play-in.
Seems if healthy this team could win enough to get Coach Christi a contract extension . Yikes !
Might not be a popular opinion but I think Domas is a key for Acuff this year. He’s a great passer and will get Acuff open shots and take some playmaking pressure off him. Still don’t understand the hate on Domas. Goes hard all the time. Makes teammates better and is a rebounding machine. The majority of NBA players don’t play defense, at least he tries😂, so I think we need to appreciate his positives. I do like Acuffs attitude so far.
Seems Domas is blamed for not being Haliburton . No King plays harder , more unselfish and extremely productive than he . Will be appreciated once he’s traded .
Agree. He’s never caused problems and plays hard all the time.
I don’t see a lot of hate for Sabonis, but the truth is, it was a bad trade to lose Halliburton and gained somebody who’s not great in the playoffs.
even though I love the effort that Sabonis puts out and how he plays, he can’t shoot, and isn’t a playoff winning type player.
I see it more as frustration of losing a playoff performer and now just wanting to trade Sabs because the team needs to get some more youth and start rebuilding.
though, I would’ve liked to see the kings, get their head out of their ass and set up an offense based around Sabonis. If you don’t do that, you’re just wasting him.
Love his effort.
Since he was exposed in the playoffs and decided not to shoot open jumpers, for me, he has become an expensive Adams, Hartenstein, Allen, Poeltl type player.
Not shooting really limits his distribution ability as his defender can cover back cuts, double the dribble hand off, just gum up the offense.
At 20 mil he’d be a bargain, at 30 million he’d be solid. At 45 mil he’s a bad contract.
If he’d shoot more it would greatly enhance his value and return him to the solid piece he was during the Beam team regular season.
I think it is a case of “what have you done for me lately” that is shadowed by injury and ill-fitting teammates.
Last year was a atrocious for sure, but that is 100% injuries. It’s an outlier that shouldn’t really be used as analysis.
The 2024-25 season he shot an impressive 41% from three and 59% from the floor, but his assist numbers dropped, in large part due to the addition of DDR.
The two “beam” seasons prior, in which he got MVP votes, he shot a very impressive 61% and 59.4% from the floor, both career best. He also had career best assist averages at 7.3 and 8.2. The reason those years were the best of Domas is the team fit properly around him. He had solid shooting wings in Huerter, Keegan, and Barnes that spaced the floor and fed off of Domas’ passing.
Hopefully, this season’s roster is a return to that form. On paper, anyway, a shared court of Acuff, LaVine, Hunter and Keegan should be a better shooting foursome than Fox, Huerter, Keegan, and Barnes. Defensively they hopefully won’t be any worse, fingers crossed.
In the end, I still think Saboins is the linchpin to making this roster hum.
Hope you’re right, fear I am.
I’d be happy if this team could consistently make the play offs, Get the concerns about Sabonis’s game in the playoffs. Think if used right he could really help Acuff
Man, I read the first 10 comments and thought about calling a suicide prevention number!
Thank the maker for Chandlerj, you bunch of Eeyores!
Also, the Kings play (some form of) basketball today! LET’S GO!
There is at least one positive, they’re dedicating the media dining room to G-man at 5pm.
That’s awesome!
Can they dedicate a urinal to Grant so we can piss on him? 😉
Awesome recognition for the G-man!
Will be full of hot mics…I mean…hot food.
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