Kings introduce first-round pick Darius Acuff Jr. ‘I know what they got building’
Sacramento Kings first-round pick Darius Acuff Jr. explained why he wanted to be selected by team in the draft as he spoke during an introductory news conference at Golden 1 Center on Monday.
“I know what they got building, so I wanted to be a part of it,” said Acuff, who was joined at the event by General Manager Scott Perry, fellow first-round draft choice Alex Karaban and second-round selection Emanuel Sharp.
Acuff, a standout Arkansas point guard, mentioned knowing Perry, who coached his father at Eastern Kentucky and said he saw a lot of himself in coach Doug Christie.
What Acuff could do in Sacramento
Acuff, 19, averaged 23.5 points a game in his only season at Arkansas and was drafted seventh overall by Kings.
“We prioritized talent, basketball IQ, competitiveness, character and the potential to make a long-term impact,” Perry said during the press conference, prior to taking questions from a large throng of reporters on-hand in the entryway to Golden 1 Center.
Acuff could begin the coming season with heavy minutes for Sacramento, which relied last season at point guard on Russell Westbrook, whose return is uncertain.
Acuff did not hesitate during the news conference when asked whether he felt pressure about being the face of the franchise.
“I don’t really feel pressure,” Acuff said. “It’s just basketball at the end of the day. We all been hooping for a long time, so I just go out there and play my game for real.”
Leading up to the draft, some analysts questioned Acuff’s defensive ability. Asked about the criticism, Acuff said that he’s looking to improve.
“People got opinions,” Acuff said. “That’s not something that I want to address. I know the mistakes I made for sure, and I’m looking to get better at it in the NBA.”
How Karaban and Sharp see themselves fitting in
At 6-8 and 230 pounds, Karaban could play either small forward or power forward with the Kings. He said he was fine playing either position, saying, “Whatever the team needs, really.”
Asked what he hoped to be able to do on-court for the Kings, Karaban replied that he wanted to “become an elite shooter, create space for superstars to operate and really space out the floor and just do the little things out there, just defending at a high level, creating extra possessions and doing the little things out there to help a team win.”
Like Acuff, there is an existing connection to the Kings for Karaban. He was coached at UConn by Dan Hurley, who is the brother of Duke legend Bobby Hurley, who the Kings selected seventh overall in 1993. Karaban said that he’d met Bobby Hurley “a couple times.”
Sharp was selected 45th overall. He said he is open to whatever role the team finds for him.
“It doesn’t really matter to me,” Sharp said. “I’m embracing it with open arms.”
Should he make a mark in Sacramento, Sharp has a potential song to be played over Golden 1 Center’s loudspeakers: His grandfather John Ellison wrote the 1967 Soul Brothers Six song, “Some Kind of Wonderful,” according to a 2025 Canadian newspaper article. Sharp seemed okay with the tune being associated with him as a King.
“I love that song,” Sharp said.
The Bee’s Chris Biderman contributed to this story.
This story was originally published June 29, 2026 at 2:16 PM.
