Darius Acuff Jr. made his first NBA preseason appearance Monday as the Sacramento Kings fell 127-103 to the Los Angeles Lakers. The rookie guard finished with 19 points and four assists in 27 minutes, showing confidence while acknowledging areas the Kings need to improve.
“It felt good,” Acuff said after the game. “I played a game in a while. Like a real game. Felt good. Just get out there, play against somebody else.”
Acuff believes Sacramento’s offense was not the main issue despite the 24-point defeat. The Kings scored 28 points in the first quarter but struggled to contain the Lakers as the game progressed.
“I think we were just being aggressive,” Acuff said. “Me and Zach, we was all just being aggressive. I don’t think offense is the problem. I think defensively we just wasn’t racking up stops as a team as much as we needed to.”
The rookie also emphasized the responsibility that comes with playing point guard in the NBA.
“It’s a different business,” Acuff said of his transition to the league. “Every day just got to come in and be serious and want to be great at something.”
“And just coming in, working, being a leader, especially as a point guard, you want to come in and be a leader, be the quarterback, and just build everybody together.”
Acuff was also candid about his Summer League experience, saying the NBA preseason presented a significantly different challenge.
“Summer League is just like—I wouldn’t—the intensity is not the same,” he said. “I think the NBA, you’re playing against way better players. They just bring the best out of you.”
After struggling during Summer League, Acuff said he wanted to approach his preseason debut by simply playing his own game.
“Summer League for me was a learning experience. I didn’t play that well, so I just wanted to come out here, just play like myself and just be myself.”
That mindset was evident in his aggressive first half. Acuff scored 17 points before halftime and finished 8-of-17 from the field overall.
“They give me the confidence to go out there and be aggressive,” Acuff said. “I got to go out there and be aggressive because that’s what’s best for our team.”
Acuff also believes his ability to attack downhill is one of his biggest strengths.
“Downhill just playing downhill is one of my strengths for sure,” he said. “So I want to do that all the time.”
The Lakers repeatedly applied pressure to Acuff in the backcourt, but the rookie welcomed the challenge.
“I like to play against that. So that’s, I think, that’s an advantage for me,” Acuff said of full-court pressure.
He added that facing aggressive defenders will help prepare him for the regular season.
“It prepares me for sure,” Acuff said. “It takes watching film, just being smart, and not trying to dribble air out the ball back there, just trying to get one move to go.”
Acuff also acknowledged that he had too many turnovers and needs to continue learning from every game and practice.
“I know I’m going to face a tough defender every night, so I got to, like I said, that’s why I stay in the gym,” he said.
Despite the loss, Acuff viewed the preseason opener as another step in his development.
“We got games to prepare and to learn, to build with each other,” he said. “We just got to keep talking as a team and stay together through it all.”
