Darius Acuff Jr. looked comfortable in his first NBA preseason game

He scored 19 points in 27 minutes in his first NBA action, albeit in just a preseason game, despite his team coming short in a 127-103 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday, Oct. 6 at Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento.

"It felt good. I haven't played a game in a while, like a real game," Acuff told USA TODAY Sports. "It felt good, just get out there and play against somebody else. Not the outcome we wanted but it was good to play against somebody else."

Acuff, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft , didn't have anything to say about his offensive performance. He added four assists, a block and steal to his stat line. His main gripe came on the defensive end as the Lakers shot 50% from the field, including 45% from 3-point territory on 20 made 3-point field goals.