John Calipari Warns NBA Teams Not to Pass on Arkansas Star Darius Acuff Jr. in 2026 Draft
Arkansas head men's basketball coach John Calipari had high praise for guard Darius Acuff Jr. ahead of the team's NCAA tournament Sweet 16 game against Arizona on Thursday.
Speaking to ESPN Andscape's Marc J. Spears following Wednesday's practice, Calipari expressed his belief that Acuff is going to thrive in the NBA.
"Pass on him, you'll regret it," Calipari said. "I said it about [Tyrese] Maxey. I've said it about a bunch of guys. I said it about Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]: 'You're going to regret passing on this kid.' And I know there are other good players, but this kid [Acuff] is unique."
A 19-year-old freshman from Detroit, Acuff piled up the accolades in what was likely his only collegiate season, earning unanimous First Team All-America, SEC Player of the Year, SEC Rookie of the Year and SEC tournament MVP honors.
The 6'3", 190-pound dynamo averaged 23.5 points, 6.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 three-pointers made, while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 44.0 percent from beyond the arc.
Even in the Razorbacks' 109-88, season-ending loss to Arizona in the Sweet 16 on Thursday, Acuff thrived, finishing with 28 points, three boards and three dimes.
As Calipari mentioned, he has coached no shortage of talented guards at the college level who have gone on to become superstars in the NBA.
The reigning NBA MVP in Gilgeous-Alexander and a two-time All-Star in Maxey are prime examples, as are Derrick Rose, John Wall, Devin Booker, Jamal Murray and De'Aaron Fox.
Acuff may follow in the footsteps of those players, although it is unclear where he will land as part of a stacked draft class that includes BYU's AJ Dybantsa, Kansas' Darryn Peterson, Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson, among others.
In his latest 2026 NBA mock draft released this week, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected Acuff to go fifth overall to the Utah Jazz.
Acuff would be a potentially huge addition to a Utah team that has plenty of talent in the frontcourt and on the wings, led by Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Ace Bailey.
If Acuff ends up being as good as advertised by Calipari, he could perhaps help make the Jazz one of the most complete teams in the NBA in the not-too-distant future.
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