Sacramento Kings rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. made his NBA debut against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on Oct. 21.
The Kings dropped their season-opener against the Clippers in a 121-96 loss. As for Acuff, he struggled in his first-ever NBA game.
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He wasn’t shy about shot attempts, which is something you might want to see from your No. 7 overall pick of the 2026 NBA Draft.
The 19-year-old played 35 minutes in his debut game for the Kings. Here’s how performed.
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder warms up before Game Six of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center on May 28, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder warms up before Game Six of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Frost Bank Center on May 28, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Jalen Johnson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks in action during Game Five of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on April 28, 2026 in New York City. The Knicks won 126-97.
(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Alperen Sengun #28 of Houston Rockets drives the ball during NBA China Games 2026 between Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks at The Venetian Arena on the Cotai Strip on October 09, 2026 in Macau, China.
(Zhizhao Wu, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Josh Giddey #3 of the Chicago Bulls gestures during the third quarter in a preseason game against the Denver Nuggets at Ball Arena on October 11, 2026 in Denver, Colorado.
(Tyler McFarland, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Ajay Mitchell #25 of the Oklahoma City Thunder warms up prior to the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on October 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
(Kenneth Richmond, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Peyton Watson #8 of the Denver Nuggets grabs a rebound against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena on January 22, 2026 in Washington, DC.
(Scott Taetsch, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Jalen Green #4 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during the first half in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 27, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Amen Thompson #10 of Houston Rockets drives the ball during NBA China Games 2026 between Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets at The Venetian Arena on the Cotai Strip on October 11, 2026 in Macau, China.
(Zhizhao Wu, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic brings the ball up court during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on October 07, 2026 in Memphis, Tennessee.
(Justin Ford, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Brandon Miller #24 poses for a photo opportunity during the Charlotte Hornets Media Day at Novant Health Performance Center on September 28, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
(Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Ausar Thompson #9 of the Detroit Pistons looks on against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the third quarter in Game Five of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena on May 13, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.
(Gregory Shamus, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Dyson Daniels #5 of the Atlanta Hawks dunks against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of a preseason game at American Airlines Center on October 16, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Shaedon Sharpe #17 of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts during the game against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 30, 2026 in New York City.
(Ishika Samant, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs looks to rebound against the Phoenix Suns in the second half of a preseason game at Frost Bank Center on October 14, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
(Ronald Cortes, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons waits during the fourth quarter of Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on May 09, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Cavaliers defeated the Pistons 116-109.
(Jason Miller, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Keyonte George #3 of the Utah Jazz waits for a free throw during the second half against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on January 17, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball during Game Five of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center on May 26, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder defeated the Spurs 127-114.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Donovan Clingan #23 of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 14, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Suns 114-110.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Stephon Castle #5 of the San Antonio Spurs handles the ball during Game Seven of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Paycom Center on May 30, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Kon Knueppel #7 of the Charlotte Hornets gestures after a play during the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on April 12, 2026 in New York City.
(Jordan Bank, Getty Images)
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Vj Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers dribbles the ball during Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Xfinity Mobile Arena on May 08, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Emilee Chinn, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Dylan Harper #2 of the San Antonio Spurs goes through drills before their preseason game against the Atlantic Hawks at Frost Bank Center on October 8, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
(Ronald Cortes, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
AJ Dybantsa #4 of the Washington Wizards in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on October 08, 2026 in New York City.
(Sarah Stier, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Darryn Peterson #22 of the Utah Jazz rushes the ball up the court against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half of their preseason game at the Delta Center on October 12, 2026 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
(Chris Gardner, Getty Images)
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NBA’s young stars to watch in 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks runs back court against the Atlanta Hawks during the second half of a preseason game at American Airlines Center on October 16, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
How did Darius Acuff Jr. perform in his NBA debut?
Acuff scored 12 points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals. He also had four turnovers. Acuff didn’t have the best shooting night as he struggled to find the bucket. Acuff shot 5-for-24 in his rookie debut, shooting 20.8% from the field.
Darius Acuff stats
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sacramento Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. struggles in NBA debut
