Weighed down by Kings' 1-10 start, rookie star Acuff declares he is 'not a loser'

Kings rookie star Darius Acuff Jr. frustrated over 1-10 start: 'I'm not a loser'

• ESPN

Nov 11, 2026, 09:41 AM ET

Darius Acuff Jr. admitted that the Sacramento Kings' poor start to the season is weighing on him.

After the Kings fell to 1-10 with Tuesday's loss to the Orlando Magic, Acuff was asked whether the losses were starting to take a toll.

"A lot," the rookie guard responded. "I'm not a loser, so it's not fun. But like I said, it's an 82-game season, so hopefully something will stick."

Acuff, 19, scored 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting and added six assists in Tuesday's 107-100 loss.

The No. 7 overall pick in this year's draft, Acuff is averaging 26.2 points -- the ninth-most in the NBA -- and 7.3 assists per game this season.

But those impressive numbers have not translated into wins for the last-place Kings, who enter Wednesday tied with the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls for the worst record in the NBA.

"I don't know what to do," Acuff said. "I feel like we're trying -- everybody as a whole. We're just not coming out with the win. 1-10 just don't sound right."

Acuff's 288 points are the most by any rookie through the first 11 games of a season since Michael Jordan scored 289 for the Chicago Bulls in 1984. Kings veteran Zach LaVine praised Acuff after Tuesday's game, saying that the former Arkansas star is "going to be real special."

But Acuff, who committed four of Sacramento's 20 turnovers in Tuesday's loss, also noted that he and his teammates need to "clean up" their mistakes.

"We try," he said. "I think we've just got to come together at the end in the fourth quarter and just kind of get better as a team and close the games. We've got to figure it out at some point."