Kembali
Sacramento Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr. delivered another sensational performance on Sunday, and the seventh overall pick joined a Hall of Famer in history afterward.
Acuff put up 32 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and one steal in a 114-108 loss to the Miami Heat at the Golden 1 Center. He went 11-for-21 from the field, including 3-for-7 from 3-point range, in 39 minutes, 21 seconds as a starter.
The 19-year-old joined LeBron James as the only teenagers in history with at least 30 points and 10 assists in multiple games (2). He recorded 11 points in the fourth quarter alone as the Kings stayed within reach down the stretch.
"If you've ever seen him play, you know what he can do, so it is not going to be from a lack of confidence," Kings coach Doug Christie said of Acuff overcoming early shooting woes. "It is just different defenses, size, speed. You just have to get adjusted to all of that. The even more impressive part is how quickly he adjusts and understands what he is seeing and trying to decipher it."
Acuff is averaging 25.9 points, 7.4 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 31.9% from 3-point range in 10 appearances with the Kings. He ranks 10th in the league in scoring and is one of seven players overall with four or more 30-point games.
The 6-foot-2 Acuff is on a sensational scoring run with the Kings after receiving the ultimate green light to shoot from Christie. He is one of two players (Oscar Robertson) to tally at least 250 points and 70 assists over his first 10 career games.
While Acuff has emerged as a key player, the Kings have struggled on the court after starting the season 1-9. The group will look to bounce back against Orlando on Tuesday.
"We have to make sure we're staying disciplined to the things that we want to do and keep the movement as opposed to getting stagnant and letting five pairs of eyes stare at (Darius)," Christie said. "You got to move people around, and he'll make the right play."