HawgBeat - What Arkansas is getting in five-star Darius Acuff Jr.
In-depth scouting report on new Arkansas commit and five-star Darius Acuff Jr.
arkansas.rivals.com
Five-star guard Darius Acuff Jr. committed to Arkansas on Friday, causing even more excitement for the basketball program under new head coach John Calipari.
Though he has yet to coach the Razorbacks in an actual game, Calipari has earned the commitment of a second five-star recruit in the span of a couple months, and four total top-25 recruits from the high school ranks. The new Head Hog has the fanbase highly anticipating the upcoming basketball season, to say the least.
While Acuff won't suit up for Arkansas until the following season, assuming he signs, fans have every reason to be excited with his addition to the program. He is easily one of the most gifted scorers in the 2025 class.
The five-star is currently ranked No. 9 in the nation on Rivals, and his commitment gives the Razorbacks their second top-10 recruit in the past three classes, the other being former No. 2 overall recruit Nick Smith Jr. in the 2022 class.
HawgBeat has a full scouting report on Acuff's game, including what makes him such a top-level scorer and areas he can improve on before stepping on the floor in a Razorback uniform.
Scout
It is immediately apparent upon turning on Acuff's film that he is a gifted scorer in every facet of the game. He has good enough handles to break down defenders on the perimeter, and is quick and strong enough to beat them off the bounce and get to the rim.
Such good ball-handling skills aren't limited to driving, though. Acuff uses his abilities to break down defenders as any good isolation player does, in a versatile way that keeps defenders guessing. He can go off the dribble and get to the rim, which he is one of the bets in his class at doing, or he can drive and dish anywhere on the floor with his next-level court vision.
His reaction time is extremely quick, as the 6-foot-2 point guard can go around, shoot over, or pass away from a help side defender on drives. Acuff has a tendency to shoot the midrange floater, which will probably be more difficult at the collegiate level, but has made it consistently in high school so far. He finishes at the rim at a high clip and has shown the ability to stop and pop from the midrange when he isn't shooting the floater.
Acuff has also shown the ability to knock down shots from the perimeter off the dribble in isolation situation, in transition, and off the catch. When his shot is on, he is hands down the best scorer in his class, though his perimeter game can be streaky at times.
While he is a gifted scorer, Acuff isn't a combo guard, but will still play the role of a true point guard at the next level. He has an innate ability to score, but as mentioned above has great court vision to find teammates and is a willing passer.
CONTINUE READING HERE
