Sacramento’s Top Pick Dropped 25 in His Debut. Then He Set Up the Game-Winner.

The Sacramento Kings spent their Fourth of July watching the future of their backcourt light up the scoreboard. And the future won.

Darius Acuff Jr. went for 25 points and 4 assists in his NBA Summer League debut Saturday, leading the Kings to a 79-76 win over the Brooklyn Nets in front of a lively crowd at Golden 1 Center. Sacramento’s top draft pick — selected in the top 10 back in June — showed exactly why the front office burned a pick on him.

Acuff shot 9-of-29 from the field and hit 5 of 7 free throws. The efficiency wasn’t there, not really. But the aggression and the poise in tight moments were. He attacked the basket, hit pull-up jumpers, and didn’t panic when the Nets threw double teams his way. Even after Brooklyn’s big men swatted him at the rim early, he kept coming.

“I think I was in my mind just ready to go and attack from the start,” Acuff told reporters after the game.

He also admitted he felt rushed early. Said he didn’t realize he’d taken 29 shots until someone told him. But he was happy they got the win.

The Kings trailed by 13 points early. They clawed back. And with the game on the line, Acuff didn’t force the hero shot. He found Nique Clifford — the former Arkansas guard — for the game-winning bucket. That’s the kind of read that will keep him on the floor once the regular season starts.

Acuff’s Pro Debut Had the Flaws You’d Expect

Twenty-four minutes. Twenty-nine shots. That ratio won’t fly come October. But in Summer League? It’s exactly what you want to see from a rookie who needs to learn what he can and can’t get away with. Acuff’s handle looked NBA-ready. His burst off the dribble created space against defenders who weren’t slow. And when the Nets tried to shrink the floor, he found the open man more often than he forced a bad look.

Christie and general manager Scott Perry handed him the keys from the jump. He didn’t set the world on fire. But he didn’t look lost, either.

Egor Demin Answered Some Questions on the Other Side

Brooklyn’s Egor Demin had his own night to remember. The 6-foot-9 guard — one of five first-round picks the Nets held in last year’s draft — dropped 23 points. That’s a solid return for a guy who missed the final month of his rookie season with an ankle injury. Demin looked healthy, confident, and comfortable creating his own shot. He’s got size that gives smaller defenders problems and enough handle to turn the corner. For a Brooklyn team still figuring out its long-term core, nights like this matter.

The Nets lost the game. But they got 23 points out of a second-year player coming off an injury, and that’s a win for them in July.