Sacramento Kings rookie point guard Darius Acuff Jr. made his NBA debut against the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California on October 21.
The Kings dropped the season opener against the Clippers in a 121-96 loss. Acuff, worked in the first-ever NBA game.
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He wasn’t shy about trying to shoot, because you want to see something from your No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
The 19-year-old played 35 minutes in his debut game for the Kings. Here is how it was fulfilled.
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NBA star boys to watch in the 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 star boys to watch in the 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 star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Jalen Johnson #1 of the Atlanta Hawks in action during Game Five of the Eastern Conference First 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 star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Alperen Sengun #28 of the Houston Rockets drives the ball during the 2026 NBA China game between the Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks at the Blues Arena in Cotai Exue on October 09, 2026 in Macau, China.
(Zhizhao Wu, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Josh Giddey #3 of the Chicago Bulls moves during the third quarter during 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 star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Ajay Mitchell #25 of the Oklahoma City Thunder warms up before the game against the Toyota Center Houston Rockets on October 15, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
(Kenneth Richmond, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Peyton Watson #8 of the Denver Nuggets grabs a rebound against the Washington Wizards during the half at Capital One Arena on January 22, 2026 in Washington, DC.
(Scott Taetsch, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Jalen Green #4 of the Phoenix Suns handles the ball during the first half during Game Four of the Western Conference First NBA Playoffs at the Mortgage Matchup Center on April 27, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Amen Thompson #10 of the Houston Rockets drives the ball during the NBA China Games 2026 between the Dallas Mavericks and the Houston Rockets at the Blue Arena in Cotai Exue on October 11, 2026 in Macau, China.
(Zhizhao Wu, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Paolo Banchero #5 of the Orlando Magic carries the ball on the 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 star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Brandon Miller #24 poses for a photo opportunity during Charlotte Hornets Media Day at the Nova Health Performance Center on September 28, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina.
(Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Darren 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 star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Dyson Daniels #5 of the Atlanta Hawks calls out against the Dallas Mavericks during the first half of a preseason game at the American Airlines Center on October 16, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 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 star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs looks to rebound against the Phoenix Suns during a midseason preseason game at the Frost Bank Center on October 14, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas.
(Ronald Cortes, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Jalen Duren #0 of the Detroit Pistons waits during the fourth quarter of game Three Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Arena on May 09, 2026 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Knights beat the Bakers 116-109.
(Jason Miller, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Keyonte George #3 of the Utah Jazz waits for a free throw at halftime against the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center on January 17, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder handles the ball during Game Five of the Western Conference NBA Finals at the Paycom Center on May 26, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The Thunder beat the Spurs 127-114.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Donovan Clingan #23 of the Portland Trail Blazers reacts during the second half of an NBA tournament game at the 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 star boys to watch in the 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 the Paycom Center on May 30, 2026 in Oklahoma, Oklahoma.
(Christian Petersen, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Kon Knueppel #7 of the Charlotte Hornets gestures after a play in 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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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Vj Edgecombe #77 of the Philadelphia 76ers shoots the ball during Game Three of the Second Round of the NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs against the New York Knicks at Xfinity Arena Mobile on May 8, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
(Emilee Chinn, Getty Images)
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NBA star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Dylan Harper #2 of the San Antonio Spurs runs through drills before the 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 star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
AJ Dybantsa #4 Officials 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 star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Darryn Peterson #22 of the Utah Jazz rushes the ball up 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 star boys to watch in the 2026-27 season: 25 players under 25
Cooper Flagg #32 of the Dallas Mavericks runs back to the court against the Atlanta Hawks during a preseason game at the American Airlines Center on October 16, 2026 in Dallas, Texas.
(Stacy Revere, Getty Images)
How Darius Acuff Jr. made 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 first appeared in USA TODAY: Sacramento Kings rookie Darius Acuff Jr