The Sacramento Kings spent their Fourth of July watching their top pick go to work. Darius Acuff Jr. put up 25 points and 4 assists in his pro debut Saturday, and his team walked away with a 79-76 win over the Brooklyn Nets in Summer League action at Golden 1 Center.
Acuff shot 9-of-29 from the floor, which isn’t pretty on paper. But he also got to the line, drew fouls, and didn’t panic when the Nets threw double teams at him. Brooklyn’s bigs swatted him early around the rim, but he kept attacking. He set up Nique Clifford for the game-winning bucket and helped erase a 13-point deficit in the process.
“I think I was in my mind just ready to go and attack from the start,” Acuff told reporters after the game. He admitted he felt sped up early on and didn’t realize he’d taken 29 shots. But he was happy they got the win.
The bounce-back factor
Acuff’s debut was a reminder of why Sacramento took him in the top 10 back in June. The same penetration and touch that made him a lottery pick was on display, even if the efficiency needs work. Kings coach Doug Christie and GM Scott Perry had to like what they saw in the 24 minutes he played.
On the other side, Egor Demin reminded everyone he’s still dangerous. One of Brooklyn’s five first-round picks from a year ago dropped 23 points in the loss. Demin is coming off a late-season ankle injury that shut him down for the final month of the regular season, so just being out there and scoring like that is a solid step forward for the Nets.
Summer League doesn’t decide careers. But for a Kings team hoping Acuff can be part of the core, this was a good first look. He got sped up, he forced some shots, and he still found a way to impact the game when it mattered. For a rookie debut in July, that’s about all you can ask.
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