Darius Acuff Jr.

[Upperclass]

Seems like more of a mid 90s-2000s type of player vs now imo.. going to have to be an all-time shooter to make up for his lack of burst off the dribble.. Scoot is quicker with a better handle and cant do a thing in the league..

[BAMAFREAK]

Insane game from him. He and Philon are lead guards in the NBA.
Also, Billy Richmond looks and finishes just like Derrick Jones Jr. insane hang time

[BigGargamel]

I have him at 7. He's probably the most consistent among the top pg prospects. Very few mistakes, a 3 to 1 ato ratio, and his jumper has really been money especially lately.

I have him slightly ahead of Wagler at 6. Right after the top five guys. He's been so consistently good all season.

This is a really good class if you need a scoring guard. Which every team usually does.

[ROballer]

Last time he scored under 17 and under 6 FGM was in November.

Ridiculous consistency for a freshman guard. Literally doesn't have duds offensively.

I get the Flemings > crowd but the fact that it's almost a consensus is mind boggling to me.

It's a full on race and Darius is inching closer every week. Won't be surprised if he leapfrogs him by the time the draft comes around.

[CptCrunch]

This draft is getting insane. We have 8 players averaging over 18 ppg as freshman, 3 over 20. I like Acuff 7th best...

Last year, there were 3 in Tre, Dyland and Cooper over 18.

Fleming is a bit bigger, a bit better at shooting and has a lot better signals in terms of steals and blocks. Acuff is a better athlete and maybe a better natural scorer.

[ROballer]

Fleming is the better athlete. But he's in no way shape or form "better at shooting".

Fleming takes half the 3's per game than Acuff does(3 attemps vs 6) while boasting a -5% efficiency. He's got a better % FT wise but they're both good there and have similar volume.

[FarBeyondDriven]

I think he will measure just slightly above 6'.05" which is Brunson territory and that' my comp for him in general though he's a better athlete. It's become a tough pill to swallow for teams to allow small guards to run their offense but he's dynamic enough to warrant it. It obviously might cap a team's ceiling but I don't think teams will care enough to harm his draft stock.

[pcbothwel]

Seems like more of a mid 90s-2000s type of player vs now imo.. going to have to be an all-time shooter to make up for his lack of burst off the dribble.. Scoot is quicker with a better handle and cant do a thing in the league..

...Stephon Marbury

[prime1time]

Seems like more of a mid 90s-2000s type of player vs now imo.. going to have to be an all-time shooter to make up for his lack of burst off the dribble.. Scoot is quicker with a better handle and cant do a thing in the league..

Way better shooter than Scoot.

[tontoz]

Watch on YouTube

[Cammo101]

I love watching this dude. I worry a smidge about his height and athleticism, but he is so tough and such a good shooter, that those things may not really matter.

[Telfaire]

Seems like more of a mid 90s-2000s type of player vs now imo.. going to have to be an all-time shooter to make up for his lack of burst off the dribble.. Scoot is quicker with a better handle and cant do a thing in the league..

...Stephon Marbury

That's actually the pro comp I gave him exactly two months ago:
https://www.hoops-bg.net/prospects/2026/9/Darius-Acuff

[JMAC3]

Interesting to see how Acuff, Wagler, Flemings, Philon, Anderson, Tanner etc all measure out. Here is the latest official measurements I could find.

Peterson 6-4 barefoot, 6-9.75 wingspan, 193 lbs
Philon 6-2.75 barefoot, 6-6.25 Wingspan, 175 lbs
Mikel 6-1.75 barefoot, 6-6.5 wingspan, 169 lbs
Acuff 6-1 barefoot, 6-5.5 wingspan, 174 lbs
Anderson 5-11.5 barefoot, 6-4.5 wingspan, 155 lbs
Wagler - nothing official
Flemings- nothing official
Tanner - nothing official

[SeattleJazzFan]

Seems like more of a mid 90s-2000s type of player vs now imo.. going to have to be an all-time shooter to make up for his lack of burst off the dribble.. Scoot is quicker with a better handle and cant do a thing in the league..

does lack of burst off the dribble matter if you can get by guys and create and finish in the paint regardless - due to your strength, craftiness, change of pace, etc. he doesn't have trouble getting to the rim, he doesn't need to make up for anything.

[SeattleJazzFan]

I think he will measure just slightly above 6'.05" which is Brunson territory and that' my comp for him in general though he's a better athlete. It's become a tough pill to swallow for teams to allow small guards to run their offense but he's dynamic enough to warrant it. It obviously might cap a team's ceiling but I don't think teams will care enough to harm his draft stock.

my prediction is at least 6'1.5" with at least a 6'6.5" ws. which puts him firmly in that 6'3" range and size isn't really a concern at the pg spot - but he needs to be next to a bigger wing in the backcourt. he wouldn't work next to keyonte on the jazz for example.

[NYPiston]

Acuff is a stud, he just has the "It" factor despite not being the most athletically gifted. This draft is loaded, a really good draft to be drafting top 10.

[CP War Hawks]

I get the Marbury comps, he has similar mannerisms. Starbury was a more gifted athlete with skills to match. What I trust about Acuff vs his peers is his leadership qualities. Getting Billups vibes Pistons era.

[Chi town]

I get the Marbury comps, he has similar mannerisms. Starbury was a more gifted athlete with skills to match. What I trust about Acuff vs his peers is his leadership qualities. Getting Billups vibes Pistons era.

Billups is a great comp.

I believe in his leadership too. He’s a dog. Great competitor.

My biggest question is his defense. Flemings is so good on that end. As is DP. I see Acuff ball watching too much.

[vincecarter4pres]

Also reminds me of a 6’1 Damon Stoudamire.

[The-Power]

All of these smaller Guards are going to be a hassle to sort out come draft time. Realistically, very few of them will truly pan out and those who don't aren't going to be worth much to an NBA team. It's a rough archetype. But you don't want to miss out on the one or two that do turn into lead Guards à la Lillard, Maxey, Brunson etc.

I like Acuff a lot on offense but his defense is absolutely putrid, on and off the ball. He'll really have to learn to use his frame and put in the effort or else he'll be another of those good offensive Guards that teams and fans talk themselves into for a couple years before realizing that the juice is not worth the squeeze.

Trae Young is actually a higher-level example because his offense was genuinely great even at the NBA level. And yet even he could only give Atlanta some years of good offense, bad defense and mediocre team play at – by the end – a high financial cost before being traded for very little in return. Is Trae Young worth a top 6-8 pick even in hindsight? Absolutely. Is the chance to draft someone like Trae Young worth that? Eh.