NEW YORK — The Brooklyn Nets have one day left before they have to make a decision on what they will be doing with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. Brooklyn has met various prospects over the course of the pre-draft process and one of the players that the team has met recently with was able to give his take on the entire interaction.
“It was a good workout. It was good to meet everybody, it was a great time, for sure,” Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr. during his interview prior to the beginning of the draft on Tuesday. Acuff has been one of the main players linked to the Nets given his draft profile as a guard who can impact the game through his scoring and passing and he may have answered some questions during his workout.
“I’m definitely a guy for sure that would talk, but like I said, just learning from veteran guys is great, soaking in all the information. Any role I gotta play, I’m looking forward to it,” Acuff said when asked what leadership skills he can bring to the table before addressing questions about his defense. “Every team you go to make you play defense, so you do different defensive drills, and you just got to show you can defend a little bit.”
Acuff is coming off a spectacular freshman season with the Razorbacks in which he averaged 23.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 44.0% from behind the three-point line. Acuff, along with players like Illinois guard Keaton Wagler and Louisville guard Mikel Brown Jr., have been mocked to the Nets because of his ability to be an offensive engine for a team if he reaches his ceiling.
Despite the fact that Brooklyn took at least three point guards in the 2025 NBA Draft, Acuff could potentially fit the bill as the guy who can create shots for himself and others. If the Nets are hoping to come away from the 2026 draft with Acuff on the roster, they will have to hope that the Los Angeles Clippers don’t take him with the No. 5 pick, especially given the positive meeting between him and the Nets front office.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Darius Acuff Jr. discusses workout with Nets before 2026 NBA Draft
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire | USA TODAY Network
