Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. declares for NBA Draft

Arkansas' Darius Acuff Jr. declares for NBA Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

While many expected Arkansas standout guard Darius Acuff Jr. to make a quick NBA Draft decision following the Razorbacks’ 109-88 loss to Arizona in the Sweet 16, the 6-foot-3 freshman elected to take his time before providing the public with an update about his basketball future.

On Wednesday, Acuff officially declared for the draft after a memorable freshman season in Fayetteville.

“Arkansas star guard Darius Acuff Jr. is declaring for the 2026 NBA draft, he announced Wednesday on ESPN's ‘NBA Today,” ESPN’s Myron Medcalf stated. “Acuff is currently slotted as the No. 6 prospect in the draft, according to ESPN's Jeremy Woo.”

"First, I want to just thank God,” Acuff said. “I want to thank my family, of course. Without them, I wouldn't be here. I want to thank all of the coaches that I've dealt with in my life, all of the teammates. With that being said, I'm going to be declaring for the 2026 NBA draft."

Acuff is a professional three-level scorer who plays with a calmness and swagger that’s rare for a freshman guard. The Detroit, Michigan native is always under control when the running show and is among the best reactionary ball-handlers in the draft (he executes dribble moves based on his defenders’ footwork/decision-making).

Acuff averaged 23.5 points and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 44% from three with Arkansas last season.

While the former five-star recruit’s on-ball defensive effort leaves much to be desired, he’s a top-10 draft pick by any stretch of the imagination.

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