The Sacramento Kings may be just 1-6 to start the season after getting their first win of the season last night, but it's safe to say that they found their next franchise star in Darius Acuff Jr. with the seventh pick in the draft. There are still countless things to fix and figure out for the Kings going forward, but it appears that the hardest part of finding a star for Scott Perry and the front office to build around is done.
Through seven games, Acuff is averaging 26.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 3.9 rebounds on 40.6% shooting from the field and 31.3% from three. People are quick to point out his efficiency struggles and call him a 'chucker,' but if you watch the games or look at the numbers more, you can see it's more than Acuff just putting up shot after shot.
In the last four games, Acuff has shot 46.7% from the field and 42.5% from three, and all season, the shots he is taking are quality looks in the flow of the offense. There are times when Acuff could kick the ball to his teammates more, but his 6.3 assists show that he's already getting better at facilitating and making on-ball decisions early in his career.
What's stood out is Acuff's smooth and controlled game, which is generally unseen for a 19-year-old in his first season. He moves with the grace of a veteran and has the confidence of someone who's made multiple game-winning shots throughout his career, and we're just seven games in. Pretty much everywhere you look right now, you can find a stat on Acuff's career start comparing him to legends of the game.
And the list goes on and on:
Acuff is the first player with at least 183 points in his first seven career games since Shaquille O'Neal had 187 through seven games in 1992.
Acuff is the first player with at least 44 assists through his first seven career games since Trae Young had 46 in 2018.
Acuff is the second ever player to average at least 26 points and 6 assists per game in their first seven games, something that hasn't been done since Oscar Robertson did so in 1960.
It's almost like being able to close your eye and throw a dart at the dartboard, and you'll hit a historic stat for Acuff. And the best part for the Kings is that it doesn't seem like a fluke.
Acuff is just going to keep getting better, and looking at his shooting splits, there's a clear avenue to how he can instantly improve. In general, Acuff's shooting efficiency has been lower than many would want, but where he's struggling from should be the easiest area to improve going forward.
Acuff is shooting just 51.6% in the restricted area, which is extremely low for shots right at the rim. An average percentage is in the mid-60s, with good to great being in the mid-to-high 70s. Acuff is shooting 47.5% in the floater area, and 40.7% in the mid-range. Those don't even have to improve for him to get better from an efficiency standpoint, but are likely to throughout his career as well. But if Acuff can get his shooting at the rim to increase early in his career, the sky is the limit this season with him being able to score at all four levels (three-point, mid-range, floater, and rim).
The Kings still have work to do to build around Acuff and surround him with shooters and defenders, but it's great knowing that the hardest work is done. Now we just have to wait and see who else from this iteration of the roster will be around with Acuff for the foreseeable future.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/kings/onsi as A Look At Just How Historic Darius Acuff Jr's Start Truly Is .
