NBA Draft Prospect Darius Acuff Jr Gets Jalen Brunson Comparison

Darius Acuff Jr. is one of the top prospects in the 2026 NBA Draft class, expected to hear his name called within the first few picks of this year’s selection process.

Acuff, a 6-foot-3 guard, was excellent in his one-and-done season with the Arkansas Razorbacks. He led the SEC in both scoring and assists, averaging 23.5 points and 6.4 dimes per game en route to his All-American First Team selection.

ESPN college basketball analyst Seth Greenberg gave Acuff some high praise heading into the draft, comparing him to reigning Finals MVP Jalen Brunson.

“He brings to the NBA a winning player. He reminds me a lot of Jalen Brunson,” Greenberg said on Tuesday. “You talk about his size, his body type, his ability to deliver in the clutch, his ability to manipulate the defense, change speeds, change direction, and that big chip on his shoulder.”

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“He’s all about winning. He is not good, he’s absolutely terrific in clutch time,” Greenberg added. “And the one thing we’ve learned, all the naysayers that said you can’t win with an undersized point guard that is not uber-athletic, Jalen Brunson said ‘not so fast.’ And that’s the same mindset that Darius Acuff Jr. has.”

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Brunson, 6-foot-2, averaged 32.6 points per game in the Knicks’ NBA Finals victory over the Spurs. To closeout the series in Game 5, the All-Star point guard recorded a historic 45 points in San Antonio.

Round 1 of the NBA draft will begin on June 23.

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This story was originally published June 16, 2026 at 4:40 PM.