Darius Acuff Jr. draws Jalen Brunson comp from ACC legend

The 2026 NBA Draft begins on June 23, and Darius Acuff Jr. is one of the most-talked-about prospects in this year’s class. While his evaluations have been a bit all over the place, a former basketball coach from the ACC believes Acuff brings a similar style of play as New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson.

During a segment on “NBA on ESPN,” Former two-time ACC Coach of the Year Seth Greenberg believes there are several reasons why Acuff is like Brunson. Greenberg thinks the 2025-26 First Team All-Pro brings the same winning attitude Brunson has brought throughout his career.

“He brings to the NBA a winning player,” said Greenberg about Acuff. “He reminds me a lot of Jalen Brunson. You talk about his size, his body type, his ability to deliver in the clutch, his ability to manipulate the defense, change speeds, change direction, and [he has] that big chip on his shoulder.”

"He brings to the NBA a winning player. He reminds me a lot of Jalen Brunson."@SethOnHoops breaks down Darius Acuff Jr.'s style and how he can fit in the NBA pic.twitter.com/lYoRyqOnvA

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) June 16, 2026

Comparing Acuff to the NBA Finals MVP is bold. However, it’s hard to deny the similarities. Both guards are about 6-foot-2, 6-foot-3, have a knack for getting to the rim, and have the ability to dictate the offense to either score or find the open man.

Darius Acuff Jr. had a wildly successful year with the Arkansas Razorbacks last season. The Superstar freshman led the SEC in minutes played per game (35.1), allowing him to average 23.5 points (led the SEC), 3.1 rebounds, and 6.4 assists (led the SEC) per contest while shooting 48.4% from the floor and 44.0% from beyond the three-point line.

The former Razorback is projected to be a top 10 pick. ClutchPoints’ insider Brett Siegel has Acuff going No. 6 overall to the Brooklyn Nets in his latest 3.5 NBA Mock Draft. But we won’t know for certain which team takes him until June 23.

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