Sacramento Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. recorded 34 points and 14 assists against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, while leading the NBA in missed shots and usage rate through his first five games of the season.
During the first quarter of Thursday’s matchup between the winless New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings, Sacramento rookie Darius Acuff Jr. sprinted the length of the floor in transition. He punched home a sweeping dunk past a late trail from Jeremiah Fears and a halfhearted contest from Trey Murphy III, according to reporting from Defector.
High Usage and Historic Shooting Volume in Sacramento
Acuff paused to flex and mean-mug for fans in New Orleans following the play, leaving Murphy to run back for an easy dunk after Acuff’s absence forced Domantas Sabonis to abandon the paint. Through his first five NBA games, the rookie has attempted and missed more shots than anyone else in the league, and no rookie has ever attempted as many shots in their first few games, as reported by Defector.
The Sacramento Kings have Darius Acuff Jr. ‘pretty darn high’ on their draft board, per @MattGeorgeSAC (Via @Sactown1140 ) pic.twitter.com/LBQP15TVqT
Acuff sits between Steph Curry and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the usage leaderboard, holding the sixth-highest rate in the NBA. In the 132-120 loss to New Orleans on Thursday, the rookie posted 34 points and 14 assists. According to Defector, he shot with heretofore novel efficiency, punishing defenders who switched onto him, hitting deep shots, and scoring on floaters and transition drives.
Defensive Shortcomings and Roster Contrast Against the Pelicans
While Acuff’s offensive output draws attention, his defensive impact remains heavily scrutinized. His shooting efficiency is bad, on-ball defense is worse, and team defense is functionally nonexistent. The Memphis Grizzlies mounted a comeback on Oct. 25 by targeting Acuff on the perimeter, and it worked every single time.
In the game against New Orleans, teammate Zach LaVine finished with a game-worst minus-25 in 39 minutes, while Acuff wound up plus-3 in 41 minutes. According to Defector, LaVine struggled by dribbling into contested pull-ups and standing still with the basketball, while the Kings remain winless under head coach Doug Christie.
Worth a look
