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We don’t get this every year (or even many years): Some of the highest-projected picks in June’s NBA Draft are still playing in the Sweet 16.
We’ve got it this year, and it has set up some great matchups and plenty of players to watch. Here are just some of the things we will have our eyes on this week, starting with two really great matchups.
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Darius Acuff Jr. (Arkansas) vs. Brayden Burries (Arizona)
Darius Acuff Jr. has helped his stock in this draft and maybe moved himself into the top five because starting with the SEC Tournament and through the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, he has averaged 30.2 points and 7.2 assists through five games. Plus, he’s just fun to watch — Allen Iverson wrote on Instagram Acuff was the “next him.” The other comps his supporters like to use are Damian Lillard or Stephon Marbury.
What do all of those guys have in common? They are undersized point guards who are poor defenders — and Acuff is those things too (he is officially 6’3″, but most expect him to measure a couple of inches shorter at the NBA Draft Combine). It is increasingly hard to thrive in the NBA as a small point guard who doesn’t defend. That’s why most teams don’t have Acuff higher than fifth on their draft boards, something NBC’s Grant Liffman reported on NBA Showtime, and it echoes what I have heard as well.
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Acuff can help his case going up against a very good, No. 1 seed Arizona team led by another first-round point guard in Brayden Burries. This is just a great contrast of styles. Burries isn’t flashy, he is more old school, but he does a lot of things well and is efficient. He’s the kind of guy you can see stepping in and helping an NBA team immediately as a rotation guard because he can play on and off the ball, knock down catch-and-shoot jumpers, and get downhill off screens, but also has a midrange pull-up game. He could have a big day against Acuff and help his draft stock, too.
