Darius Acuff Jr. looked comfortable in his first NBA preseason game

Darius Acuff Jr., the Sacramento Kings rookie selected seventh overall in the 2026 NBA Draft, appeared at ease during his first NBA preseason game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, Oct. 6. The Kings rookie scored 19 points in 27 minutes, despite his team falling short with a 127-103 loss. Acuff commented on his comfortable performance, stating that it felt good to play against other players rather than going through the motions of practice.

He added four assists, a block, and a steal to his impressive stat line. However, Acuff was more concerned about the team's defensive performance, which struggled against the Lakers' potent offense, particularly from three-point range, where the Kings shot just 45%. Acuff believes their defense needs to improve to counter the challenges they'll face in future games.