John Calipari says teams will regret passing on Darius Acuff: ‘He’s gonna give you everything he has’
By Ethan Stone
Published:
John Calipari sent a warning to NBA scouts on Friday, insisting that those who pass on former Arkansas star Darius Acuff Jr. are going to sorely regret it.
While speaking with Colin Cowherd on The Herd ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft on Tuesday, Calipari insisted that Acuff is going to average 18 points and 8 assists per game, minimum. Calipari also said that he’s an underrated passer and would have been even better late in the season were he not dealing with a foot injury.
Calipari then told Cowherd a story about Acuff’s 49-point outing against Alabama, a game Arkansas lost despite the future lottery pick’s heroic efforts. Calipari told Acuff that he should sit out the next game because of the injury, to which Acuff was practically disgusted, answering back, “Do you know we lost?”
“Like, I’m not sitting out!” Calipari recalled Acuff saying. “We just lost a game. You don’t want that? He’s gonna give you everything he has, a great teammate… Darius Acuff, I’m telling you, there are gonna be some guys regretting it.”
Take a look at Calipari’s comments to Cowherd below:
Acuff is projected to be selected in the top 10 according to most NBA mock drafts. As Calipari alluded to, the shifty guard has an incredibly high ceiling offensively, which manifested itself several times throughout his college career.
While playing against an SEC schedule, Acuff averaged 23.7 points and 6.4 assists per game — both within the top 15 of all players nationally. His preferred destination, according to a report from Yahoo! Sports’ Kevin Conner this week, is to land with the Sacramento Kings, who pick 7th.
Ethan Stone is a Tennessee graduate and loves all things college football and college basketball. Firm believer in fouling while up 3.
