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Darius Acuff Jr. Joins LeBron James, Luka Doncic With Historic Game vs. Pelicans

The Sacramento Kings star rookie put together a historic performance.

Oct 10, 2026; San Francisco, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr. (5) dribbles the ball during the first quarter against the against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Justine Willard-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Sacramento Kings fell to 0-5 on the season with a loss to the previously winless New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night. Despite being winless through five games, nothing everything is horrible for Sacramento.

Not only has three-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis been a bright spot for the Kings so far, despite a quiet game in New Orleans, but star rookie Darius Acuff Jr. has looked like the franchise point guard they drafted him to be.

In Thursday night's crushing loss, Acuff Jr. put together the best performance of his young career. The 19-year-old finished with 34 points, 6 rebounds, and 14 assists, while shooting 13-26 from the field and 3-11 from beyond the arc. With this, he became just the fourth teenager in NBA history to record 30+ points and 10+ assists in the same game, joining LeBron James (3x), Luka Doncic, and Stephon Marbury.

Acuff Jr. has obviously not been afraid to shoot the ball early in his NBA career, attempting 20 or more shots in each of his first five games, but this was by far his best performance yet. Granted, he slowed down toward the end, shooting just 1-6 from the field in the fourth quarter, but he finished with a positive net rating and continued to make plays all night.

Being in the same company as guys like James, Doncic, and Marbury is obviously noteworthy, as despite having the fifth-highest usage rate of any player in the NBA (min. 100 MP), he is showing why the Kings have so much faith in him.

Best Kings rookie ever?

In this game, Acuff Jr. became the first Kings rookie to record 30+ points and 10+ assists in a game since Kenny Smith did so in 1988, and tied Tyreke Evans' record for the most points in a single game by a Kings rookie.

Joining that company in just his fifth career game is unbelievable, so we can only imagine what he has in store for the rest of the season. It is no secret that he is on track to become the best rookie in Kings history, and as it stands, it is hard not to have him at the top of the Rookie of the Year race.

He is also just the third player in the last 40 years to score 30+ points multiple times in the first five games of their career, joining NBA legends Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson, per ESPN Insights.

If Acuff Jr.'s efficiency didn't dip in the second half of Thursday's game, we could've been looking at a 40-piece, but that feat will have to wait. The most important aspect of this is that Acuff Jr. has proven capable of leading the Kings' offense out of this nightmare situation, and the franchise will need to continue to build around him to turn into a successful team.

Acuff Jr. and the Kings will notably face off against Rookie of the Year contender Cameron Boozer and the Memphis Grizzlies in their next game on Saturday.

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