Darius Acuff Jr isn — The usage rate leaders list through the first two and a half weeks of the NBA season features some familiar and expected names: Luka Dončić, Anthony Edwards (four games), Victor Wembanyama, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Stephen Curry round out the top five, with Brandon Miller and Jayson Tatum not far behind.

Key Developments and Main Event

However, the name below them might come as a surprise. Kings rookie guard Darius Acuff Jr., who has a 31.6% usage rate through the first eight games, is No. The only other rookie in the top 40 is Bulls forward Caleb Wilson (No. Here are the last five players to win NBA Rookie of the Year, along with their respective usage rates.

• Cooper Flagg, Mavericks: 26.4% • Stephon Castle: 25.3% • Victor Wembanyama: 31.2% • Paolo Banchero, Magic: 27.2% • Scottie Barnes, Raptors: 18.7% Even with a sample size that represents barely 10% of the season, what Acuff is doing will likely be sustainable, as he's being asked to do more than any rookie in his class on the offensive end of the floor.

Core Facts and Essential Highlights

It's for that reason that his play has drawn eyeballs and why everybody seems to have an opinion — whether it's positive, negative, or maybe even somewhere in between — on him. Is the 19-year-old guard a perfect rookie? Absolutely not.

But he is just eight games into his NBA career and is posting numbers that get him in the same conversation as players like Dončić, LeBron James and Oscar Robertson. After finishing with 22 points and 12 assists in a loss to the Lakers on Wednesday, Acuff became the fastest NBA player in NBA history to reach at least 200 points and 50 assists.

Broader Context and Market Implications

It's hard to imagine he won't be writing his name into the record books across his rookie season. If you watched Acuff at Arkansas, this was expected As someone who watched Acuff throughout his entire college career at Arkansas, I'm not surprised to see the numbers he is putting up in the NBA.

Acuff was just the second SEC player (and the first since Pete Maravich) to average at least 22 points and six assists per game in a season.

John Calipari has coached plenty of outstanding one-and-done guards during his time at Memphis, Kentucky and Arkansas, including Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker, Derrick Rose, De'Aaron Fox, Jamal Murray, John Wall, and Tyrese Maxey. Simply put: if you're an elite high school guard prospect, you want to play for Coach Cal.

Acuff's season at Arkansas had him in the conversation for the best freshman guard Calipari has coached. Does that mean he's going to become a two-time NBA MVP like SGA or a multi-time NBA All-Star like the other names on that list?

The jury is still out, but his college production — on both ends of the floor — is similar to what we are seeing play out in the NBA. For starters, Arkansas didn't have a deep roster, which meant Acuff was on the floor a lot. He played just over 35 minutes per game, which is slightly less than he's playing with Sacramento right now.

The same depth issues Acuff experienced at Arkansas are what he's dealing with in the NBA with his new team.