Amid a disastrous 1-10 start to the season for the Sacramento Kings, Darius Acuff Jr. has been a bright spot for the team. The Kings’ No. 7 overall pick is averaging 26.2 points per game, which puts him in truly elite company.
Acuff has joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Michael Jordan as the last three rookies to average 26 or more points through their first 11 games. He was able to squeeze himself into that list after a 29-point effort in a 107-100 loss to the Orlando Magic on Tuesday. It was his seventh straight game scoring 20 or more points.
The last three rookies to average 26+ PPG in the first 11 games of their careers:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 26.8 PPG
ELITE COMPANY
(via @SacramentoKings) pic.twitter.com/j8FA6ioJ2l
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 14, 2026
Despite his impressive numbers, though, Acuff has had his share of detractors who have criticized him for his supposedly selfish play. Former No. 2 pick Michael Beasley urged the rookie to take fewer shots for the sake of a better relationship with his teammates.
Through 11 games, Acuff is averaging 22.8 shots per game, which is tied with reigning two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for second-most in the league and behind Luka Doncic. That is the company Acuff is sharing at the moment with his shooting volume.
Regardless of how he’s doing it, it’s nevertheless an impressive feat for a rookie to join a scoring list that includes two of the greatest scorers of all-time in Kareem and Jordan. At this point, he has proven that despite his youth and relatively small stature, he can be a big-time scorer in the league. But the next stage of his development will be to see whether he can translate his big numbers into actual wins for the Kings.
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