Latest / Bleacher Report / DeMarcus Cousins Loves Darius Acuff Jr.’s Fit With Kings _ 2026 NBA Draft

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DeMarcus Cousins Loves Darius Acuff Jr.’s Fit With Kings _ 2026 NBA Draft · Bleacher Report

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: You mentioned it, Darry Saycuff, the guy we were just
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: talking about, expected to come off the board next as
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: the Sacramento Kings come on the board next. This has
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: gone chalky boys. So you notice to what I'm noticing.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: I was kind of expecting some chaos at the top
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: of this draft. Washton hasn't happened.
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  Speaker 2: I'm six for six on mock drafts. I'm sure other
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  Speaker 2: people are as well. But like you said, yeah, everybody,
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  Speaker 2: this is what everyone expected, and a cuff at seven
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  Speaker 2: is exactly what I'm sure Sacramento was hoping for.
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  Speaker 1: All right. So if you're the King's GM buggy and
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  Speaker 1: a Cuff falls to at seven, are you just grinning
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  Speaker 1: here to ear?
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  Speaker 3: Absolutely? And there was a lot of you know, speculation
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  Speaker 3: leading up to this is you know, the two names
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  Speaker 3: being attached as far as the Kings loving ACU. Also,
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  Speaker 3: Scott Perry had a history with his father, so that
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  Speaker 3: also makes a lot of sense. But you can't speak
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  Speaker 3: enough about this kid, and you know what he brings
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  Speaker 3: to the game. I think this is a great pick
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  Speaker 3: for the Kings as far as writing the ship creating
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  Speaker 3: a culture there, I think this is a great culture
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  Speaker 3: starter for the Kings. You get your lead guard, you
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: can kind of start building around that as far as
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  Speaker 3: building out your future. But Darius A. Cuff is the
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  Speaker 3: perfect pick for the Kings. Please take great care of him.
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  Speaker 3: I'm a huge fan of the kid. We know how
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  Speaker 3: Sacramento gets, but take care of him. And I was thinking,
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  Speaker 3: and you know, I think this is a good pick
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  Speaker 3: for them moving forward.
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  Speaker 1: I'm gonna say, Cart, you're a Darius A. Cuff guy.
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  Speaker 1: He started in the state of Michigan where we're from,
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  Speaker 1: and the pick is in. It is Acuff at seven. Look,
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  Speaker 1: we have to say it. The Kings don't have the
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  Speaker 1: greatest history taking care of guys we love like Darius A. Cuff. Cart,
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  Speaker 1: how concerned are you. I'm a little bit concerned. I'm
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  Speaker 1: not gonna lie to you.
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  Speaker 4: But they're getting a chance to run it back. Man,
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  Speaker 4: you didn't do the Tyres Haliburn thing right. The deharent
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  Speaker 4: Box thing didn't end well. They need to take good
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  Speaker 4: care of him, like Boogie said, because this is a
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  Speaker 4: star level guard.
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  Speaker 1: He is tough, he can score the ball, and he
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  Speaker 1: scores the ball so well.
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  Speaker 4: I think people don't give him enough credit that he
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  Speaker 4: can really distribute the Ball as well out of the
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  Speaker 4: pick and roll. This is a dynamic, all star level
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  Speaker 4: guard that the Kings are getting right now, and now
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  Speaker 4: it's time for them to do right him because I'm
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  Speaker 4: sure that he'll do right by them.
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  Speaker 1: I think he comes in right away and he changes
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  Speaker 1: some things for the Kings. Well, you played in college
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  Speaker 1: with the guy that I think many considered the greatest
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  Speaker 1: John Caliperry guard of all time, in John Wall. How
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  Speaker 1: far behind is Terrus A Cuff junior.
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  Speaker 3: Well, let's question movie. I mean, I got the most
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  Speaker 3: love for John. I'm probably one of his biggest fans.
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  Speaker 3: But when you think about the long history of cow guards,
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  Speaker 3: you got to think about the Garry Roses, Darius Washington's,
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  Speaker 3: the Tyreek Evans, even the Darius Acuff now the Herrick Bletsoe's,
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  Speaker 3: Baron Fox, Brandon Knight. It's a lot of guys that
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  Speaker 3: played under cal. This is just another one. One thing
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  Speaker 3: you can trust about being a cow guard is he's
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  Speaker 3: going to develop them. He's going to make them ready
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  Speaker 3: for the pros. So that's a great thing for any
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  Speaker 3: organization moving forward. You know that's a positive, But uh,
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  Speaker 3: I expect nothing less than him being a multi time hostar.
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  Speaker 1: The fact that we're sitting here on draft night putting
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  Speaker 1: a cuff in that group of guards says everything you
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  Speaker 1: need to know. And he may have truly had the
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  Speaker 1: single most awe offensively impressive season for many calgar we've
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  Speaker 1: seen in a very long time. Was wass, what's your
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  Speaker 1: reaction here?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean this is an easy a like exactly
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  Speaker 2: what Sacramento was hoping for when the draft order came out.
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  Speaker 2: Like you said, one of the best offensive seasons I've
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  Speaker 2: seen from a guard. I mean, I just love how
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  Speaker 2: good he is with the ball, and he says, look
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  Speaker 2: at these quick, violent dribbles, has that wrong foot finish.
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  Speaker 2: He's very crafty around the lane, of course, a big
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  Speaker 2: time shot maker and just a guy who could score
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  Speaker 2: from three levels. But I was also very impressed with
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  Speaker 2: the way he was able to run offense. Had a
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  Speaker 2: very good assist to turnover ratio. Not much debate here
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  Speaker 2: on where he's going to slide into the lineup. He's
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  Speaker 2: going to get reps right away. He's going to work
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  Speaker 2: on his decision making again running offense, balancing his own
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  Speaker 2: scoring with getting guys involved. When he was at IMG,
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  Speaker 2: this was a score In fact, I don't think any
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  Speaker 2: player in the draft turned me more than Acuff did
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  Speaker 2: this season at Arkansas, So a good spot for him. They,
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: by the way, is Camp wanted him to be here,
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  Speaker 2: wanted him to be in a place like Shacramental where
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  Speaker 2: he could run the show.
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  Speaker 1: Kurt, much like you and your men's league. My questions
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: are not on the offensive end with Darius Seikoff. My
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: questions are are you bringing anything on the defensive end?
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  Speaker 1: Can we expect Darrus Sekuff to give the Kings anything
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  Speaker 1: on the defensive side of the basketball?
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  Speaker 4: Listen, I don't think he's going to challenge for any
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  Speaker 4: all defensive teams or anything like that. But I think
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  Speaker 4: that you can develop that, right. I think that you know,
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  Speaker 4: at Arkansas, he has such a heavy offensive load that
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  Speaker 4: I think he kind of preserved himself on the defensive
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  Speaker 4: end a little bit. And I think if he has
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  Speaker 4: the tools, I like the plus wingspan that he has.
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  Speaker 4: He's also very stocky, like Boogie pointed out, I think
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  Speaker 4: that he can be at least sufficient enough on that
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  Speaker 4: end of the floor where he'll be fine.
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  Speaker 1: But yeah, I couldn't help but notice his wass was
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  Speaker 1: giving us the lineup breakdown. It's a pretty amazing guard
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  Speaker 1: that we were just sliding a cuff right in over
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  Speaker 1: the top of in Westbrook there. Do you think this
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  Speaker 1: is going to be a day one hand him the
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  Speaker 1: keys and get out of the way situation.
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  Speaker 3: I absolutely do. Like I said, this has been spec
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: laying the whole process. As far as the coming up
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  Speaker 3: into the draft, I actually hope the Kings stick around
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  Speaker 3: with Russ so he can be that mentor for theirs
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  Speaker 3: A club. I think that's a great veteran for him,
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  Speaker 3: kind of teaching the ropes, help you know, transition him
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  Speaker 3: and as far as being a pro. But I definitely
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  Speaker 3: think they hand the keys over. That would be the
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  Speaker 3: smart move. Let him this is a talent that you
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  Speaker 3: kind of, you know, put in the fire. Let him
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  Speaker 3: learn through the fire. I think he'll come out on top.
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  Speaker 3: But I definitely think that you keep with Russ and
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  Speaker 3: let him be that mentor. I don't think it's a
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  Speaker 3: better guy to put the job.
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  Speaker 1: What's the ceiling offensively for a cuff kart.
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  Speaker 4: I mean, like I said when he got picked, I
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  Speaker 4: think he can be in an all star level guard
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  Speaker 4: and I think he can be a one A type
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  Speaker 4: of guy. I know, we talked about it offline a
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  Speaker 4: little bit. Gee, there are some Dame Lillard things there
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  Speaker 4: with him. I think he can develop into that type
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  Speaker 4: of guard, and that's what the Kings need as long
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  Speaker 4: as they do right by him. You got another shot.
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  Speaker 4: I think you can make this right.
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  Speaker 3: Got another shot.
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  Speaker 4: They got another shot. They've had shots, and they can
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  Speaker 4: make this right.
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  Speaker 1: Listen, shots are not a bad thing. But at the
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: same time, how many misshots in a row until we
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  Speaker 1: noticed the pattern?
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  Speaker 3: Right, you miss every shot you don't take.
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  Speaker 1: That's very true. That's very true. Well, look, I think
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  Speaker 1: a Cuff at seven is a pretty historically special. Now,
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  Speaker 1: this is why we love the top of this draft, right, guys,
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  Speaker 1: I mean, we're sitting here talking about seven guys that
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  Speaker 1: I think legitimately have faced the franchise potential. Acuff may
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  Speaker 1: be the most recent taken