ZiggyHippo

Watch Arkansas face off against Arizona on Thursday night and you'll see Darius Acuff shapeshift. One possession, he's snaking through a ball screen with that low dribble and impossible touch around the rim — full Kyrie mode. The next, he's sprinting off a handoff and pulling up from the logo before the defense can even blink — full Dame mode. Then the other team inbounds the ball and he's standing somewhere near half-court, watching his man curl off a screen on the other side of the floor — full Trae Young mode. It's the most fascinating offensive package in college basketball attached to the most exhausting defensive effort. Anyone who’s watched Acuff knows about the defensive effort lapses, the awareness issues, and the size limitations at a generous 6-foot-3 that don't go away. These are legitimate flags and they belong in every honest evaluation. But Saturday night showed why some scouts forgive those flaws. He scored 12 of Arkansas' final 15 points and, with the game tied at 83 with three minutes left, Acuff went on a personal 7-0 run — with two layups and a 3-pointer from the wing with a minute left. He added two free throws with eight seconds remaining to close it at 94-88. His 36-point night is the most by any Razorback in NCAA tournament history and broke the program's single-season scoring record. He and Chris Paul are the only freshmen since 1973 to open their tournament careers with back-to-back 20-and-5 games. He has 60 points and 13 assists in two games. He's 19. Acuff doesn’t do much defending at the college level. Yes, that’s real. And yes, if Arkansas loses to Arizona the odds are his inability to get stops will be one of the factors why. And yes, maybe it’ll continue to be a problem in the NBA. But at some point the avalanche of offensive credentials just buries the counterargument. Irving is a future Hall of Famer and a champion who hit one of the greatest shots in the history of the Finals. Dame is a future Hall of Famer and led his team to a conference finals. Trae is a complicated case — his best days in Atlanta are behind him and he'll need to rejuvenate in a disastrous Washington situation — but he still gave that franchise seven years of appointment television and a conference finals run. The offensive value was worth a top-five pick … well, as long as you're not giving away Luka Dončić to get him. The question with smaller guards is always about whether they do enough on offense to compensate. And with a football player frame and a high work ethic, Acuff does have the tools to be a competitive defender when he's surrounded by more talent. A player this special offensively is worth a top-five pick, whether or not his defense is a red flag.

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