When the winless Sacramento Kings travel to face the undefeated Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night, it will be a matchup of teams headed in opposite directions.
The Grizzlies (5-0) are the early surprise of the season after winning their home opener and four straight road games. The Kings have struggled from the outset and fell to 0-5 following Thursday’s 132-120 loss at New Orleans. Sacramento’s loss of Ben Simmons to an Achilles injury has been significant.
Yet the Kings and Grizzlies share something in common. Both feature a 19-year-old Rookie of the Year candidate: Sacramento’s Darius Acuff Jr. and Memphis’ Cameron Boozer.
Sacramento has been led by Acuff, who is averaging 24 points and 6.6 assists per game. He turned in a 34-point, 14-assist performance at New Orleans, setting career highs in both categories.
Acuff joined exclusive company with his performance against the Pelicans, becoming just the fourth teenager in NBA history to record at least 30 points and 10 assists in a game.
He also joined eight others — including Wilt Chamberlain, Allen Iverson and Shaquille O’Neal — who have recorded multiple 30-point games within their first five NBA appearances.
“The poise he shows in all the moments,” Kings coach Doug Christie said. “He is learning how to lead and pick and choose his spots. The kid wants to win and we are going to lead him there.”
Acuff was the seventh overall pick in the NBA Draft after a stellar season at the University of Arkansas. LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Stephon Marbury are the only other teenagers in league history to record at least 30 points, 10 assists and five rebounds in a game.
Memphis, meanwhile, has received an immediate boost from Boozer, who recorded his first triple-double in Thursday’s victory at Portland. He finished with 18 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in the 124-103 win.
Asked what it meant to accomplish such a feat just weeks into his professional career, the former Duke standout brushed it off.
“The season’s just starting,” Boozer said. “We’ve got 77 more, so there’s a lot more games (to play).”
Part of Boozer’s reluctance to speak highly of his performance stemmed from back-to-back lackluster outings preceding Thursday’s game. He shot 9 of 33 over consecutive games at Utah and Sacramento.
“I felt a little bit out of rhythm,” Boozer said. “For me, I was impacting winning in all those games, but I wanted to play better.”
Grizzlies point guard Ty Jerome, who was slowed by back stiffness Thursday, said Boozer has been a pleasant addition.
“He’s as complete of a player as I’ve seen and as mature of a rookie as I’ve seen,” Jerome said. “There’s nothing he can’t do on a basketball court.”
Boozer became the second-youngest player in NBA history to record a triple-double and the youngest in franchise history.
“He’s unbelievable,” Memphis coach Tuomas Iisalo said of the third overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. “He’s showing a consistent ability to keep learning and keep improving within the season.”
