Nets projected to take Darius Acuff Jr. No. 6 in 2026 NBA Draft

The Brooklyn Nets came away from Sunday's 2026 NBA Draft Lottery with a disappointing result as they drew the No. 6 pick in the upcoming draft after starting in the third spot. While Brooklyn always knew that falling a few spots was a possibility, the hope is that the franchise would finally get some good luck. Be that as it may, the Nets could still take a talented player.

"Acuff's ability to create offense as a lead guard will surely warrant strong consideration here, but the Nets have also prioritized selecting players with plus positional size, and they will have a number of valid candidates to consider over the next month," ESPN's Jeremy Woo wrote in his latest mock draft projecting the Nets to take Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. with the No. 6 overall pick. Acuff could be what Brooklyn needs at this spot.

"Acuff put together an individually dominant one-and-done season and put himself in position to be the next guard off the board behind Darryn Peterson," Woo continued on Acuff. "Opinions around the NBA vary on where he stacks up amid a very talented guard class; there is curiosity around how he'll measure physically at the combine, but there's little doubt he has the chops to help run a team next season."

The Nets encountered bad luck in the Lottery for the second straight season as they fell three spots this year after falling two spots last year when they received the No. 8 overall pick that led to guard Egor Demin. With that being said, Acuff had one of the best freshman seasons in college basketball this past year as he averaged 23.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 44.0% from three-point land.