Jason Burgos
A top college basketball expert believes that if the Brooklyn Nets do select Darius Acuff Jr. with their lottery pick in next week’s NBA Draft, the Arkansas star will not only lead the team in scoring, but the entire NBA in the near future.
The 2025-26 college basketball season featured many freshmen who took Division I by storm. AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson are two of the most notable, and that’s why they are expected to go first and second in the June 23 draft. However, one player who elevated his status to serious heights was Acuff Jr.
The Razorbacks guard’s 23.5 points and 6.4 assists a night helped power an offense that was second in the nation in scoring with 90.2 points per game. He is a multi-level scoring threat that shot an outstanding 44% from three this past season and has also shown a high basketball IQ as he plays efficiently and avoids turnovers. It’s understandable why he is expected to go early in next week’s event.
Brooklyn Nets will get a future NBA scoring champ if they draft Darius Acuff?
Heading into the 2026 NBA Draft, projections have Acuff Jr. going in the second half of the top 10, and several predict he lands with the Nets at sixth overall. If the second-class citizens in New York basketball does use their top pick on the Arkansas star, ESPN’s Jay Bilas offered up a bold prediction on his potential.
“Darius Acuff, Jr., of Arkansas, could wind up leading the NBA in scoring,” Bilas said during a draft preview presser this week. “Not his first year, but you could certainly see that happening. Like when Kevin Durant came out in 2007, that was one of the things you said about him was that he could wind up leading the league in scoring.”
Acuff Jr. certainly has the tools to be an impact player immediately in the NBA. Plus, the new king of New York basketball, Jalen Brunson, has shown over the last few years that you can dominate in the league with craftiness and basketball smarts. Things the draft prospect has a ton of.
