buddy heald Just can’t stop making history. After becoming the first player since Paul George in 2022 to score at least 20 points in less than 15 minutes during his Golden State Warriors debut, the veteran sharpshooter etched his name in the NBA record books just 48 hours later .
Scorching Hield drains seven more triples as Dubs laugh 127-86 Friday night’s win over the Utah Jazz, setting a new all-time record for most threes made by any player in his first two games with a team.
could heal Definitely He has had a total of more than 12 long balls so far, if not more, to help the Warriors achieve back-to-back blowout wins in the regular season. It’s not like he’s played a spectacular total of 35 minutes against the Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers, yet he has yet to appear in the fourth quarter of either game. Hield has attempted just 16 shots from beyond the arc, never forcing the issue despite always seeming to have the hot hand.
Buddy Hield, too early in the race for Sixth Man of the Year?
Golden State was well aware that Hield could be the lowest-rated shooter in NBA history when acquired in the sign-and-trade for Klay Thompson. You’ve surely heard it many times by now while watching and listening to the Dubs’ local broadcasts: It’s actually Hield, not Curry, who leads the NBA in long-range splashes over the past half-decade.
Dubs get rolling again with planned 12-man rotation in Salt Lake City, and all dozen players logging regular minutes once again made their unique presence felt. Remember, Kerr didn’t decide on that almost unprecedented approach until two days before the season started. But while he long ago knew Hield would be Golden State’s sixth man, the early preseason development was due almost as much to the 31-year-old’s daily approach and relationships with his teammates as it was to being an imminent threat on defense.
Kerr praised Hield for the same reasons after Friday’s game, in which all but three of his game-high 27 points came before halftime.
“It was incredible to watch him in the first half. “He brings a lot of energy to the floor,” Kerr said of Hield. “Part of it is the way he plays, looking for those shots, looking for threes and being quick on the floor. runs up. He runs very hard in both directions, and creates an environment for us. Then the second thing is he’s an incredible person and teammate. The bench full of happiness is laughing with him all the time. What he brings to the team goes way beyond just his shooting, but he’s huge in his own right. We are thrilled to have Buddy.”
What Kerr didn’t mention – and if this continues he could be an early contender for Sixth Man of the Year this season – is everything Hield did against Utah with his shooting skills and The long-standing competition is brought to the table with joy. Have always been present.
Hield filled the stat sheet at the Delta Center, adding four rebounds, six assists and a steal to his 27 points on 10 of 14 shooting. The tape tells a complete story. Does it seem like the largely one-dimensional specialist Hield has been blamed for during his eight-year career?
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Hield wasn’t just a hyper-efficient gunner with some secondary playmaking juice in Portland. Not only does he move around the screen for a seamless catch-and-shoot triple and almost steal an assist from the opener to nail this two-way sequence, but then he almost single-handedly cuts the ball two separate times. Gives. Stop forcefully.
Hield won’t shoot 70% on threes all season. The tireless defensive activity he has shown during the first two games of the season is bound to diminish over the course of an 82-game stretch, and his physical shortcomings could easily be exploited against quality competition in the playoffs. Hield’s ridiculous plus-minus of +45 isn’t exactly sustainable. The Dubs won’t be playing the Blazers or Jazz every night and their big, athletic, junky starting five will certainly become more comfortable with the extra reps.
Still, you might want to get on that +1200 Hield to win Sixth Man of Year as soon as possible, Dub Nation. He’s guaranteed a major role with the Warriors, no matter what happens with Kerr’s crowded rotation or how Mike Dunleavy Jr. reshaped the roster at the trade deadline, and Golden State’s halfcourt flow and open play. The beach will continue to receive the most steady diet of easy looks. -Court speed.
What if protection and dirty work somehow persisted? Hield’s Sixth Man of the Year candidacy will be more than just a reflection of the on- and off-court qualities that have made him a league mainstay and ensured he is a long-term point guard for the Warriors.
(TagstoTranslate)Buddy Hield(T)Steve Kerr