Kings' 1-10 Start Has Rookie Darius Acuff Saying 'I'm Not a Loser'

Sacramento Kings rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr. said the team's 1-10 start to the season is weighing on him, telling reporters this week, "I'm not a loser," after a loss to the Orlando Magic dropped the Kings into a tie for the worst record in the NBA, according to ESPN.

The Kings fell 107-100 to Orlando on Tuesday night, their 10th loss in 11 games. Asked whether the string of defeats was taking a toll, Acuff did not hedge. "A lot," he said, per ESPN. "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."

What is the Kings' record through 11 games?

Sacramento enters Wednesday at 1-10, tied with the Utah Jazz and Chicago Bulls for the league's worst mark, ESPN reported. The Kings' lone win came somewhere in the opening stretch of the season; everything since has gone the other way, including Tuesday's loss in which Sacramento committed 20 turnovers, four of them by Acuff himself.

"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." — Darius Acuff Jr.

How has Darius Acuff Jr. performed individually?

The numbers are not the problem. Acuff, the No. 7 overall pick in this year's draft, scored 29 points on 10-of-21 shooting with six assists in the loss to Orlando. For the season, the 19-year-old is averaging 26.2 points — ninth-most in the NBA — and 7.3 assists per game, ESPN reported.

His 288 points through 11 games are the most by any rookie over that stretch since Michael Jordan scored 289 for the Chicago Bulls in 1984, according to ESPN. That is the kind of scoring pace usually associated with postseason contention, not a one-win team tied for last place in the league.

Kings by the numbers

• 1-10 — Sacramento's record through 11 games, tied with Utah and Chicago for worst in the NBA
• 26.2 — Acuff's scoring average per game, ninth in the league
• 7.3 — Acuff's assists per game average
• 288 — Acuff's total points through 11 games, the most by a rookie in that span since Michael Jordan's 289 in 1984

What is Acuff saying about the team's struggles?

Acuff described a locker room that is working but not winning. "I don't know what to do," he said, according to ESPN. "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."

He also pointed to his own mistakes, including the four turnovers against Orlando, as part of what needs fixing. "We try," he said. "I think we've just got to come together at the end in the fourth quarter and just kind of" — his thought, as relayed by ESPN, trailed into the broader point that close games have not gone Sacramento's way.

What are teammates saying about Acuff?

Veteran guard Zach LaVine, who has played alongside Acuff through the rough start, offered praise after Tuesday's loss. LaVine said the former Arkansas star is "going to be real special," per ESPN — a vote of confidence from a veteran watching a teenager put up historic scoring numbers on a team that has yet to find its footing.

That gap between individual performance and team record is becoming the defining storyline of Sacramento's season. Acuff is producing at a level that would normally anchor a playoff push, yet the Kings' place in the standings has not moved.

What's next for the Kings?

Acuff's own answer leaned on math rather than optimism: an 82-game season leaves room for correction, even after a 1-10 start. "Hopefully something will stick," he said, according to ESPN.

Whether that turnaround comes depends on factors beyond Acuff's scoring — turnovers, fourth-quarter execution, and the kind of close-game finishes that have eluded Sacramento so far. For now, the rookie's production and the team's record are telling two different stories, and Acuff, for his part, says he does not intend for the losing to define him. "I'm not a loser," he said.