Darius Acuff Jr.'s Struggle in Summer League Called Out by NBA Scout But Drops Steph Curry Reference

Sacramento Kings rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. didn't have as much success in the NBA summer league as his fellow lottery picks, and many took notice.

ESPN's Brian Windhorst spoke to a Western Conference scout who called out Acuff for his struggles while playing in five games across the summer leagues in San Francisco and Las Vegas.

"A lot of rookie guards will struggle at summer league; it's not the end of the world. But [Acuff] was the loudest of the [rookie lottery guards] struggling," the scout said. "His defense wasn't great, and his floor game was rough at times."

The No. 7 pick in the 2026 draft, Acuff averaged a respectable 20.8 points in summer league, but he needed 20 shots per game to do so. He had 19 turnovers against 23 assists and shot just 35 percent from the field and 27 percent from beyond the arc.

Acuff is expected to be Sacramento's lead guard this season, so it should be expected that he will experience some ups and downs as he continues to develop. The Western Conference scout added a bit of optimism to his outlook by referencing Golden State Warriors star guard Stephen Curry.

"I don't care that much about bad shooting," the scout said. "What did Steph [Curry] shoot in summer league? No one remembers. It's a couple games."