The Sacramento Kings were expected to be the winner of the 2026 NBA Draft lottery, putting them in a position to land one of the four top-tier prospects available. With the club finishing 7th overall, the draft targets changed significantly.
According to Kevin O'Connor of Yahoo Sports, many around the league "widely believe" the Kings are targeting Arkansas Razorbacks point guard Darius Acuff Jr. with the seventh overall selection.
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- Darius Acuff stats (ESPN): 23.5 ppg<6.4 apg<3.1 rpg, 48.4% FG, 2.5 3pm per game, 44% 3pt
It should come as no surprise that Sacramento is in the market for a point guard. This has been an issue plaguing the franchise since All-Star point guard De'Aaron Fox was traded away. The organization's hope was that the lottery would turn out in their favor and that they would have elite chances of their choice among the top three.
Instead, by selecting seventh overall, Sacramento will likely take a top guard who hasn't already been snatched up. That group of prospects is headlined by Acuff, Arizona guard Brayden Burries and Illinois guard Keaton Wagler.
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Acuff, who turns 20 in November, earned SEC Player of the Year honors last season and received unanimous first-team All-American honors as a freshman. Sam Veseni of The Athletic called Acuff potentially "the most polished freshman guard prospect ever."
The 6-foot-2 guard's shot creation, ability to get to the paint and passing ability all give him the potential to become a high-level contributor offensively. However, he is also seen as one of the worst guards in the 2026 NBA Draft.
In an era where NBA teams have shown greater reservations about making long-term commitments to undersized guards who struggle defensively, drafting Acuff appears to go against that thinking.
Potentially, Sacramento could draft Acuff and then re-sign Russell Westbrook to serve as a mentor for the rookie this upcoming season. At best, he could develop into a Deron Williams-archetype player.
