With the seventh overall pick in Tuesday night's draft, the Sacramento Kings took a chance on Arkansas Razorbacks guard Darius Acuff Jr. While this was one of the least surprising decisions of any team after so many rumors about their connection, it is now official.Acuff Jr. is coming in to be the Kings' new franchise point guard, and regardless of how you feel about his defense or size, he has all the tools to be Sacramento's next star. After the draft, he had plenty to say about coming to Sacramento, and here we will look at a few notable comments from the new King.Happy to join the KingsWhile it remains uncertain how much Acuff Jr. truly knows about the Kings' roster, he assured that he was excited to play with all of his new teammates. "I think I fit right in. I love the roster. They've got some dogs over there. So I'm happy to join that pack."The 7th pick of the 2026 NBA Draft, Darius Acuff Jr. joins Lauren Green after being drafted by the @SacramentoKings. pic.twitter.com/DP0VDf4akc— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 24, 2026Granted, if Acuff Jr. is ready to fit in with the "dogs" in Sacramento, then he should be a great fit under head coach Doug Christie. Even after a 60-loss season, though, Acuff Jr. believes the Kings have talent on their roster and is excited to play with the "great players" in Sacramento. "They're great players. Definitely excited to get there and play with those guys. They're great players to play with and I can't wait."— Jake Gadon (@JakeGadon_TV) June 24, 2026When asked to name one player he is the most excited to play with in Sacramento, Acuff Jr. resorted to the team's star big man, Domantas Sabonis."I'm probably excited to play with [Domantas] Sabonis. I know he's a great player. He can do a lot of things on the court. But I'm excited to play with the whole team for sure—get there and build relationships with them."For now, we can make sure to wait to tell Acuff Jr. that Sabonis might not be on the roster by the start of his rookie season. Still, if the Kings do decide to hang onto Sabonis for a bit longer, it will be interesting to see how that new duo plays together, and if they can be as effective as the Sabonis-De'Aaron Fox tandem once was.He is homeWhile it is rare to find a player who wants to be in Sacramento, Acuff Jr. is ready to call it home. Not only will Acuff Jr. make a huge impact on the court, but he is also ready to put on for his new city. "[Sacramento] is definitely home. I love it. I loved it while I was there. That's my home now. I'm excited to be here for sure."There were some pre-draft reports about Acuff Jr.'s camp wanting the Razorbacks product to land in Sacramento. While the star guard claims he does not know where those reports came from, he admits they were true."I wanted to be here for sure. I don't know where they got that from, but I definitely said I wanted to be a King for sure. Any team I got drafted to, I would've been fine, but this is definitely my best destination. I'm excited to be here. It's just the relationship that's been going on for a while now. This was the best thing for me."Kings draft pick Darius Acuff Jr. just spoke with the local media about being selected by Sacramento, his desire to want to play with this franchise, the defensive improvements he'll need to make and what he looks forward to most about his new NBA home. pic.twitter.com/hanq6uFqt3— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) June 24, 2026Acuff Jr. getting drafted by the Kings is a perfect match, as the star guard will likely get the keys to the offense from day one, while Sacramento is in desperate need of a franchise cornerstone of his caliber.Ready to change the franchiseOf course, Acuff Jr. knows that the Kings lost 60 games last season and is likely aware that they have made just one playoff appearance over the last two decades. Still, he is ready to change things in Sacramento and help turn the franchise into a winner."I'm a winning player. I'm gonna come in and try to win every game. I'm just excited to do that and change the program around."This is exactly the type of mindset the Kings need if they want to actually turn things around. The Kings needed their next franchise star to be bought in, and Acuff Jr. seems ready to do what he can.Best fans in the worldAcuff Jr. mentioned a couple of times how excited he is to play in front of the Kings fanbase, saying how he has heard that they are "the best fans in the world.""The first thing somebody told me was that they're the best fans in the world. I'm definitely excited to get there and play in front of them. I know they're die-hard fans, they love no matter what—how your season is going, they're gonna come support. Just can't wait to get there. Sacramento's a great city."Kings fans at draft party at Golden 1 Center react to Sacramento’s selection of Darius Acuff Jr. with the 7th overall pick in the NBA Draft. pic.twitter.com/obG28hGg0t— Sean Cunningham (@SeanCunningham) June 24, 2026Of course, that is what Acuff Jr. was supposed to say in that moment as he talked to the media of his new team, but his excitement to play in Golden 1 Center is a great thing to hear.What about defense?Heading into the draft, everybody knew how incredible of an offensive prospect Acuff Jr. is. However, his defensive concerns were a major talking point, and will be until he proves otherwise. Fortunately, he is ready to improve on that end of the court. "I'm ready to go out there and defend. I can play against everybody and show I can defend. I'm excited for the opportunity. ... Just got to go out there and prove that I can play defense. Keep defending and playing hard."Acuff Jr. shared a similar sentiment during his pre-draft process, saying that he will do what he can to improve on defense, although it is rare for a player to truly turn things around when they were as bad as they were in college. Still, we will see what he has in store defensively.Not feeling any pressureAcuff Jr. is already talking like an NBA star. When asked if he feels pressure coming to Sacramento, he said he never feels pressure."There's never pressure. Just got to go out there and hoop. I'm not too worried about pressure or none of that. I'm just gonna go out there and play my game. But I'm looking to improve each and every game. It's a long season, 82 games, so I'm just going out there and looking forward to getting better."Acuff Jr. seems ready to be the star the Kings need him to be, and it is refreshing that his main focus is to get out there, play basketball, and improve every game. Acuff Jr. will not be a top point guard in the league as a rookie, and the Kings likely will not be a playoff team next year. However, with time, we should see both Acuff Jr. and the Kings continue to build toward success. Some fans are still on the fence about the addition of Acuff Jr., but the 19-year-old point guard is ready to take this franchise to the next level.Follow us on Facebook and X for the latest Sacramento Kings news.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow