Calipari Says He Didn’t Care About Acuff’s Perceived Defensive Woes

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The biggest knock on Sacramento Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr. prior to him being picked seventh overall in the NBA Draft on Wednesday was his perceived lack of defensive skills.

Despite his immense amount of talent offensively, Acuff wasn’t a fantastic defender during his lone season at Arkansas.

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He’s a defensive liability because he doesn’t prioritize defense, and that’s something he’s gotta work on,” ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said of Acuff on Thursday.

Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr (5) shakes hands with head coach John Calipari during the second half Texas A&M Aggies at Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas won 99-84. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic wrote of Acuff, “Acuff’s defense was quite poor, however, and the impact metrics back up the idea that his presence was often extremely harmful on that end…I’m skeptical of his defense improving, so you’ll need to work around him on that end.

“…It wasn’t just one issue; it was all of them. Starts at the point of attack. Gets beaten off the bounce more often than you’d expect given his strength. Gets hoppy as opposed to staying down and striding out. Also particularly bad in ball screens. Doesn’t navigate them well. Seems to get clipped by every screen. Takes bad angles. Also isn’t diligent in recovery. Will give up on too many plays because he’s too far behind. Rarely seems to stay attached to the play after a screen.”

But Arkansas head coach John Calipari didn’t care about Acuff being a defensive liability during the year he was under Calipari’s tutelage, as he expressed in a Thursday interview.

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“He was such a good scorer, I didn’t give a sh– about his defense,” Calipari told FanDuel TV. “Here’s what I will tell you: I’ve already had this talk. If you are a target on defense, you can’t stay in the game. They will weave and pick and roll and downscreen until you switch on the ball and they’re driving.”

Acuff, like NBA Finals MVP Jalen Brunson, has the…

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Publish date : 2026-06-26 00:31:00

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