You probably don’t give a damn with the Sacramento Kings did during the draft. They haven’t been a contender since Andrej Stojakovic’s daddy was shooting threes in the California capitol.
But here in Dub Nation, we believe in knowing your enemies. Not in a conspiracy board and red string kind of way, but like in a “Sacramento is 90 miles from Chase Center and just picked seventh in the draft” state of mind.
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So let your Gold Blooded King give you the official Kings draft debrief. Lucky you!
The Kings came into draft night with a very specific hole in their roster where a point guard used to be. De’Aaron Fox was sent to San Antonio to detonate their title dreams in the NBA Finals traded away. Dennis Schröder came and went in the blink of an eye. And Russell Westbrook, a future Hall-of-Famer, was holding down the position the way you hold down a job you know isn’t yours for long.
Sacramento needed a star. And by golly they may have found exactly that.
With the seventh overall pick they selected Darius Acuff Jr. out of Arkansas, and Sacramento may have discovered its point guard of the future.
Acuff averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 assists last season, shot 44% from three, and won SEC Player of the Year under John Calipari. Calipiari is a coach whose guard pipeline reads like a Hall of Fame waiting room: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker, De’Aaron Fox, Jamal Murray, Tyrese Maxey, Derrick Rose, John Wall. When Calipari vouches for a guard, you don’t dismiss it.
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Calipari told a story about his star guard:
Darius walked in, we just lost to Alabama. I had four guys fouled out of the game. I’m playing with two guys the last overtime that hadn’t played all year. He’s trying to will us to win. His foot is so bad, he scores 49 … I said listen, ‘You should take the next game off.’ He was in a boot. We were playing Missouri at home. He looks at me and he said, ‘Do you know we lost?’ And he got up and left. Like, I’m not sitting out we just lost a game. You don’t want that? You don’t want a guy that he is going to give you everything he has?”.
This is new for Sacramento, right? In previous years, a franchise this desperate would have traded half the future to move up two spots and overpaid for a prospect the whole league knew they wanted. Instead, apparently GM Scott Perry held firm at seven because the whole league already knew Acuff preferred Sacramento anyway. They sat there, let the pick fall into their lap, and didn’t flinch. Then they traded into the first round to select Connecticut’s Alex Karaban at No. 29, a 6’7″ wing who shot 37% from three, passes with purpose, makes quick decisions, and keeps possessions moving. Then Emanuel Sharp at 45 out of Houston, another 3-and-D guard ready to contribute real minutes immediately. Three picks. One vision.
Now before we give them a champiponship, let’s keep it real. Acuff’s defense is a genuine question mark, not media noise, and the Kings still have expensive roster decisions ahead involving players who may or may not fit what they’re building. What do they do with Zach Lavine and Demar Derozan? But as they answer those questions, it’s more than fair to give them so love so far in the process.They’ve had nineteen lottery appearances in twenty seasons so looking competent on draft night is progress.
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Golden State should keep an eye out. Sacramento is building something in our backyard, quietly, without the drama, and placing their bets on standout talent.
Keep your friends close, Dub Nation. Keep your Pacific Division rivals in your group chat, your timeline, and your scouting report. Because the Dubs are gonna see these guys several times this year, and the Kings may finally have stopped behaving like the KANGZ.
