When Darius Acuff Jr. hears his name called during next month's NBA Draft, the Arkansas Razorbacks star will be the next guard coached by John Calipari into the league. What makes his journey to the league interesting is nobody knows where he'll go.
There's a huge possibility he'll sneak into the top three or could go as late as No. 8 to Atlanta. Acuff is ready to play up to the NBA standard and will make an immediate impact. If this year's draft wasn't stocked with insane amounts of talent, Acuff would get serious consideration for the No. 1 overall pick.
However, AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Caleb Wilson and Darryn Peterson will all likely go before Acuff. This class rivals the player who went in the 1996 class, and many of them are currently in the Hall of Fame.
Here's where things stand with Darius Acuff Jr. ahead of the 2026 NBA Draft.
MORE:2026 NBA combine: Full list of draft prospects invited
Darius Acuff Jr. 2026 NBA Draft Combine live updates
Arkansas' Darius Acuff measured 6'2 barefoot and 186 pounds at the NBA Draft Combine, with a 6'7 wingspan and 8'2.5 standing reach.
In line with past measurements. Not the biggest or longest guard around, but certainly not any kind of deal-breaker. pic.twitter.com/92axDxsSQC
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 11, 2026
Darius Acuff Jr. news, notes and highlights:
I heard that Darius Acuff Jr. might be the worst defender in the NBA next year. Watched his defense during the SEC Championship to see if people were exaggerating.
It's pretty rough. pic.twitter.com/GbLRN9nH13
— Steph Noh (@StephNoh) March 19, 2026
Darius Acuff Jr. rumors:
“I think it’s time for them to let Kawhi go.” 😳
Former Clippers player Darius Miles believes LA needs to start fresh this offseason after getting the No. 5 pick in the draft.
(via Yahoo Sports Daily) pic.twitter.com/rK5gMyzT1N
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) May 11, 2026
2026 NBA Draft order:
1. Washington
2. Utah
3. Memphis
4. Chicago
5. LA Clippers (from Indiana)
6. Brooklyn
7. Sacramento
8. Atlanta (from New Orleans)
9. Dallas
10. Milwaukee
11. Golden State
12. Oklahoma City (from the LA Clippers)
13. Miami
14. Charlotte
15. Chicago (from Portland)
16. Memphis (from Phoenix via Orlando)
17. Oklahoma City (from Philadelphia)
18. Charlotte (from Orlando via Phoenix)
19. Toronto
20. San Antonio (from Atlanta)
21. Detroit (from Minnesota)
22. Philadelphia (from Houston via Oklahoma City)
23. Atlanta (from Cleveland)
24. New York
25. Los Angeles Lakers
26. Denver
27. Boston
28. Minnesota (from Detroit)
29. Cleveland (from San Antonio via Atlanta)
30 Dallas (from Oklahoma City via WAS and PHI
More NBA Draft news: