The Arkansas Razorbacks have been on the rise, and their success this season was not just because of head coach John Calipari, but also because of freshman guard Darius Acuff Jr. He has been the best player for the Hogs and has led them to the Sweet Sixteen to face off against the No. 1 Arizona Wildcats.
Despite his success under Calipari, Acuff is widely seen as a one-and-done, and he would be entering the NBA draft as soon as he becomes eligible, which is this year. This means as soon as this season ends, the freshman guard is expected to turn his sights on the NBA draft. This begs the question of when he will actually be drafted.
The rise of Darius Acuff Jr. has gotten many NBA insiders talking, and he is so good that many see him as a draft lottery pick. While there were concerns that he might not be good enough to enter the NBA yet, as he has been a bit inefficient in some games while also being a small guard, his performance as compared to the other freshmen has many believing he could go between being the No. 5 pick and the No. 10 pick.
His highest draft projection currently is at No. 5, according to Bleacher Report, while others, such as CBS Sports, have him at No. 8. For now, his batchmates from the freshman class of 2025 are projected to go higher, with them being AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, Cameron Boozer and Caleb Wilson.
However, it should also be noted that his performance in the postseason has seen his draft stock rise, and may even get drafted earlier, but not at No. 1, as there is a three-way debate between Dybantsa, Peterson and Boozer right now.
Darius Acuff Jr. Shows He Could Deliver During the Postseason
The biggest concern regarding Darius Acuff Jr. has been his size, but after leading the Razorbacks to the SEC championship, that is slowly being wiped away. He has played in five postseason games so far, three in the SEC Tournament and twice in March Madness, and his lowest-scoring games have been ones where he scored 24 points.
Against Hawaii in the first round, he dropped 24 points, three rebounds and seven assists, and followed it up with 36 points, one rebound and six assists against High Point. His true litmus test will be how he performs against a much larger team like Arizona.
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