Thanks to the many Arkansas Razorbacks fans who “liked” my short but enthusiastic Facebook post about the professional debut of Sacramento Kings rookie Darius Acuff who overcame a jittery start before torching the New Jersey Nets and delighting a Fourth of July throng in Sacramento. Acuff aficionados assured readers that their prodigy, who played but one year in Fayetteville, was both skillful and a tiger and not to worry he struggled early in his first pro game. In response, I assured them that Sacramento fans weren’t at all distressed. They knew a special talent had joined their downtrodden team and was lighting up the Golden 1 Arena unlike anyone in a long time.

Young Acuff, though resilient at age nineteen, was correctly held out of the game on July fifth. He’ll play plenty of back-to-back games during the regular season. Fans were doubtless disappointed by his absence, and most must have felt the diminished energy in the gym and hoped he’d play Monday in the final game of the California Classic, which precedes the Las Vegas Summer League in that inferno called Nevada. A rejuvenated Acuff, generously listed at six-foot-two, the shortest man I saw on either team, did stride tall into the layup lines and soon after action commenced hit a jumper from the left elbow and a long two-pointer diagonally from the right and closed the quarter with a three pointer and a free throw for eight points. He highlighted his six points in the second quarter with a quick dribble drive he finished in heavy traffic. He was less productive in the third quarter, officially hitting only two free throws, but did swish a three-pointer negated by a teammate’s foul. I also wrote in my notes that it seemed he’d thrown a few good passes that on other nights probably will be converted rather than missed.

My next notation read: “ 85-85 with 4:55 to go… Acuff time?”

I don’t profess to be a soothsayer but the Kings, after leading most of the game, soon trailed 85-87 and my next notations read, “3… 88-87” and before long another “3” and “93-87 – Yes”. The precocious Mr. Acuff, more than anyone, had delivered another victory, scoring twenty-two points and contributing three rebounds and the same number of assists.

I won’t be going to Las Vegas this summer and indeed haven’t been there since 2015. I’ll be heading to the Pacific coast for beautiful views and sweet winds and art by French master impressionist Claude Monet at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. But before I go, I’ll have time to examine some of the large and fast defensive stalwarts that Darius Acuff must battle in the regular season after he feasts a little more on players who are very good but not quite the generational opponents everyone faces in the glorious but radically overpriced NBA.

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