Next up in our series on possible Clippers’ selections at 5 in the 2026 NBA Draft is probably the second most-mocked to the Clippers after Keaton Wagler, the electric Darius Acuff.
Basic Information
Position: Point Guard
Height: 6’2
Weight: 185.8 pounds
Wingspan: 6’6.5
Age on draft day: 19.6
College: Arkansas
Stats: 23.5 points, 6.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 2.2 turnovers in 35.1 minutes per game across 36 games played (all starts) on 48.4/44/80.9 shooting splits (5.8 3PA, 6.1 FTA)
Overview
Darius Acuff had an electric season at Arkansas, leading the SEC conference in minutes, points, and assists per game as a freshman as well as having the best offensive BPM in the conference. Acuff also got results, leading Arkansas to the SEC Tournament championship and getting them to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. He was a box office draw, electrifying fans with his scoring and playmaking, and earning acclaim as maybe the most consistently fun player in the NCAA this season. It was a monstrous season for Acuff, and will get him drafted somewhere in the top 10.
Strengths
Acuff is a truly fantastic scorer that can get buckets at all three levels. For Acuff it all starts with his three-point shooting, which opens up his drive and pull-up game. For a guard of his age, Acuff truly has an advanced bag, including tough finishes around the rim, off-the-dribble threes, and self-created looks in the midrange. He’s not an explosive athlete like a Russell Westbrook or John Wall, but he is speedy and has a twitchiness to his game that makes him very tough to guard. His game strongly resembles classic bucket-getting guards, with flashes of Darius Garland, Kyrie Irving, and Kemba Walker in his scoring, dribbling, and overall approach. He is a hoopers dream, in other words.
But Acuff’s scoring is not his only strength on offense. Acuff is legitimately a good passer who dished the most assists per game in the conference while only turning the ball over 2.2 times per game. Keeping turnovers down considering his insane offensive usage is super impressive, and shows Acuff’s decision-making on that end of the court. The height can limit some passing angles, and he’s certainly not a brilliant passer like Steve Nash or Chris Paul, but there’s zero doubt he can run a team’s offense and make all of the standard passes needed in the modern NBA game.
There are intangibles to Acuff as well. While it doesn’t translate on defense (see below), he plays with a fire that is infectious, and had numerous clutch moments throughout the NCAA season. Being the leader of a good college team as a freshman is really tough, but Acuff (much like Wagler) pulled it off. He seems like someone fans would instantly fall in love with, and that has real value.
Weaknesses
Acuff’s biggest weakness is extremely obvious to anyone who has watched him play more than a few minutes: his defense. Even for a small, offense-first guard with a large usage burden, Acuff was really bad on defense. He consistently fell asleep off ball, made incorrect rotations, and offered no resistance at the point of attack. Now, some of that stuff can be worked on just through sheer effort, adding muscle, and having less of a load on offense, but it’s still very worrying. We have seen in the playoffs over the past few years that weak points on defense can get picked at over and over, and that even phenomenal offensive players (Trae Young, Darius Garland, James Harden) can get exposed in such situations. As good as Acuff is offensively, taking a player as deficient on one side of the ball as he is at 5th overall is a big risk.
This is a big factor in the defense, but Acuff’s size is definitely a weakness in a vacuum. The NBA has moved away from small guards – the last three small guards to become stars in the NBA are Trae Young (2018), Darius Garland (2019), and Ja Morant (2019), and Ja and Trae have seen their value and rep fall off catastrophically in recent years. It’s not only difficult on defense, but on offense as well; seeing over the top of defenses for passes, finishing around the rim, and creating separation are all more difficult at Acuff’s size. I think he can still be an exceptional offensive player in the NBA, but he has to play at a high, high level to get there.
Fit with Clippers
This is where things get tough. If the Clippers do really intend to build around Darius Garland as a core piece, Acuff is the worst fit of any of the top-ranked guards with Garland, in my opinion. Acuff is the worst defender of the prospects, and pairing him with Garland seems untenable on that end of the court. On offense I think the shooting, ballhandling, and playmaking could mesh together well, but both guys are best suited as lead guards, not necessarily off guards.
That’s not to say I don’t think Acuff could work on the Clippers. The Clippers could definitely take him and give him 20+ minutes per game easily, with Acuff taking all of the non-Garland minutes as well as playing alongside him in bench units where the defense would be less of an issue. The Clippers could then reassess at the end of Acuff’s rookie season, and could either commit to him or move ahead with Garland. But Garland and Acuff together as a long-term pairing seems fraught, and that makes his overall fit on the Clippers murky. If you assume that Garland is someone the Clippers would be comfortable moving off of sooner than later, Acuff’s fit is much cleaner.
Ultimately, I would not be upset if the Clippers took Acuff at 5. He seems like the surest bet of any of the guards in this range to be a special offensive player, and that is meaningful despite the defensive questions. I don’t think he’s who I’d take, but I would get it.
