Darius Acuff is taking the next step. Appearing on NBA Today on ESPN, the Arkansas freshman guard told host Malika Andrews that he will declare for the 2026 NBA draft.
The decision had been widely anticipated. Acuff is projected to come off the board early in June, checking in at No. 6 on ESPN’s big board and No. 5 in the latest mock from Jonathan Wasserman of Bleacher Report. (Hoops Wire’s is right here.)
Acuff backed that up with production.
The 6-foot-3 guard started all 36 games as a freshman and led the SEC with 23.5 points and 6.4 assists in 35.1 minutes per night. He added 3.1 rebounds while posting an efficient .484/.440/.809 shooting line, helping Arkansas reach the Sweet 16.
Accolades followed. Acuff earned SEC Player of the Year honors and was a consensus first-team All-American.
There are still questions, though.
As Jeremy Woo of ESPN noted, some scouts have concerns about Acuff’s defense, tied in part to his size. Offensively, however, there is little debate. He is a polished shot creator, comfortable with the ball, and capable of scoring at all three levels while setting up teammates.
Arkansas coach John Calipari has made his stance clear.
Calipari told Marc J. Spears of Andscape that teams overlooking Acuff would be making a mistake, comparing him to past players he has coached and vouched for before they broke out at the NBA level.
“I said it about Tyrese (Maxey). I’ve said it about a bunch of guys,” Calipari said. “I said it about Shai (Gilgeous-Alexander): ‘You’re going to regret passing on this kid.’ And I know there are other good players, but this kid is unique.”
Underclassmen have until the end of Friday to formally enter the draft pool, but Acuff has already made his intentions known.
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