The Sacramento Kings drafted Darius Acuff with the No. 7 overall pick to be their next star.
His NBA debut, though, was historically bad.
It’s just one game, and so it’s important not to overreact to Acuff’s performance.
But it was the kind of night that raised some of the concerns that prevented Acuff from being quite in the top-tier of the 2026 NBA Draft class.
The No. 7 pick in a strong class is still obviously an impressive spot to be chosen, but Acuff isn’t without flaws.
His debut, loud and clear, showed some of them off.
Darius Acuff NBA Debut Stats
Acuff and the Kings took on the Los Angeles Clippers and were blown out to open the season.
The rookie guard didn’t help the cause in his 35 minutes on the floor.
Acuff scored 12 points with three rebounds and three assists, which wouldn’t be the worst stat line if it stopped there.
His shooting, though, was a nightmare.
Acuff made just 5 of his 24 shot attempts from the floor.
From behind the 3-point line, Acuff was 0-for-7.
He was even just 2-for-5 from the foul line.
Acuff added four turnovers, as well.
Darius Acuff’s Bad NBA History
No player since the NBA-ABA merger has ever missed more shots in their debut, according to Real Sports:
Darius Acuff just had the most misses by a player in their NBA debut since the merger 😬 https://t.co/gQoKINR8A7
— Real App (@realapp) October 22, 2026
There’ve been a lot of NBA debuts in the last half-century. To set that record is not the place you want to be.
Clearly, 19 misses from the floor is a lot, not to mention the three missed free throws — but still, what a brutal record to now hold. It seems like it’ll be a tough one to break.
Most rookies who have missed 10 or 15 shots in their debut wouldn’t get the chance to keep shooting, but that’s not how it’s going to work for the Kings and Acuff.
The reality is that some players are drafted to bad teams, and that’s what has happened with Acuff. It’ll be up to him not just to take a lot of shots on a bad team, but to figure out how to elevate the roster around him. That’s what a player with lead-guard talents like his has to do.
Draft destination does matter. It can sink or swim an NBA career. Getting drafted to Sacramento will be a part of Acuff’s story.
It’ll be Acuff’s choice whether he allows starting his career with the Kings something that brings him down, or whether it’s something that he embraces to push himself and Sacramento forward.
Kings’ Darius Acuff Makes Awful NBA History in Debut