The 2026 NBA draft class is expected to be one of the deepest in recent history, with most outlets unanimous in their prediction of Darryn Peterson (Kansas), AJ Dybantsa (BYU) and Carlos Boozer (Duke) as the top-3 picks. However, the Arkansas Razorbacks’ Darius Acuff Jr., who recently produced a 28-point performance against the Texas Longhorns, is also part of the draft class, widely seen as a lottery pick.
Speaking after his match-winning showing, Texas head coach Sean Miller effectively claimed that Acuff Jr. was the best point-guard he had ever seen in college basketball.
Sean Miller on Darius Acuff:
"In my time of 34 years, I've never seen a point guard better… He's a generational player. This No. 1 pick thing, I don't know why people aren't talking about him more. I can't imagine anybody better" 👀
(🎥: @PigTrailNation) pic.twitter.com/PdMhWXVyks
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) March 5, 2026
“Usually a guy like Acuff gets too much credit or too much respect as a young player in college basketball. That can happen sometimes when a guy is highly touted, certainly has this bright future beyond college like he does. But in my time, and I’ll just go 34 years, I’ve never seen a point guard better. When people talk about who is going to be the number one pick in the NBA Draft, or who is the best player in the conference. I mean just for a perspective, and I think our conference in great, he averages 25 points per game,” Miller said per a post on X by The Field of 68.
Miller went on to claim that he could not imagine a better player, and he did not understand why Acuff Jr. was not being talked about more.
“Guys like him, they just don’t come into college basketball very, very often. He’s a generational player. He’s really, really, really good. This number one pick thing, I don’t know why people aren’t talking about him more. I can’t imagine anybody better.”
Acuff’s statistical production this season already places him in elite historical territory. The Arkansas star is averaging 22.2 points and 6.4 assists per game, ranking ninth nationally in scoring while maintaining 49.3% shooting from the field and roughly 40–43% from three-point range. He also posts roughly a 3:1 assist-to-turnover ratio while averaging just about two turnovers per game.
The performance against Texas also added to a remarkable scoring streak. Acuff has scored 17 or more points in 24 consecutive games, dating back to a November win over the Duke Blue Devils.
Despite that, Acuff is merely seen as a top-10 lottery pick, not even close to being seen as the best player of the draft. Apart from the unanimous prediction of the top-3, Caleb Wilson is also seen as a close No. 4 pick.
