Darius Acuff Jr. Makes NBA History in First Career Games

We're just two games into the Sacramento Kings season, and in case you had any questions or concerns about when the Kings would turn the keys over to seventh-pick Darius Acuff Jr., you can rest easy. Acuff certainly hasn't been shy in his first two games, in fact, he's been about as aggressive and confident as possible for the Kings early in his career.

In the two games, Acuff has taken 50 field goal attempts, the most in NBA history, according to stathead.com to start a career. It's a remarkable feat for a few reasons, but shows how much star potential Acuff has for a Kings team in desperate need of a star to build around for the future.

Unbridled Confidence

The responses to Acuff's early shooting displays are generally one of two things. The first is the 'let him cook' comment. The Kings aren't going to be great, or even good, this year, so letting Acuff get as many shots up as possible is a great way to speed up his development.

The second comment, and generally the one seen more, is regarding his efficiency. Of those 50 shots, Acuff has made just 15. That's good for a 30% field goal percentage, and he's 2-of-18 (11.1%) from beyond the arc. It would be great if more of the shots went in, but Acuff's confidence and willingness to keep shooting is arguably more important.

Acuff got lambasted online after his 5-of-24 opening night, but he didn't let it stop him from coming out with the exact same mindset in game two. Even when he was struggling, Acuff kept shooting. He shot 3-of-11 (27.3%) from the field in the first half against the Portland Trail Blazers and missed all five of his threes.

But then he caught fire in the second half to the tune of 22 points, and was a huge reason the Kings got back in striking distance against the Blazers. Yes, they fell in the end, but the hype and excitement was on full display, and that doesn't happen if Acuff stops shooting.

Who Else Will Shoot?

The other thing that's important to remember is that the current iteration of the Kings roster doesn't have many high-volume shooters. Even Domantas Sabonis doesn't shoot at a high clip, as he focuses more on facilitating and setting screens to get others open. Zach LaVine is the only other player who stands out and puts up a high number of shots.

There was a hope that Keegan Murray would fall in this category as well, but Murray doesn't look like he'll ever truly be a volume scorer in the NBA. That's not to say he's bad, and is another discussion for another day, but it all means that the shots are there for the taking.

Acuff still has to learn how to blend his scoring and facilitating, but it doesn't look like he's forcing anything on the court. He gets to his spots, shoots if he's open, and already looked better in game two at setting up his teammates when he's not.

In a season where his development is the single most important thing for the Kings franchise, Acuff is doing exactly what he needs to. If there's one thing that feels safe to say about the Kings season this year, it's that Acuff is going to keep his head up and keep shooting.

Follow us on Facebook and X for the latest Sacramento Kings news.