This series examines the Sacramento Kings players’ most recent season giving them a performance grade. Today we will take a look at Buddy Hield.
The last 12 months have been quite the whirlwind for Buddy Hield. At this time last year, he had just finished his senior season at the University of Oklahoma. He shined on the court in the NCAA averaging 25.0 points per game and winning a laundry list of awards. Hield was eventually he was selected sixth overall in the NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans, and his NBA journey began.
It was a slow start with the Pelicans. Hield was consistently a reserve playing around 20 minutes a night and struggling. In his 57 games with the Pelicans, Hield averaged 8.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.6 three-pointers made in 20.4 minutes a game. He shot well from the foul line (87.9) and beyond the arc (36.9%) but struggled mightily from the field (39.2%). It was a standard rookie campaign adjusting to the faster NBA game and dealing with being a reserve player for the first time in your life (or at least a few years). Then his entire season changed during the All-Star break.
Buddy’s New Home
The Sacramento Kings decided to move on from All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, and in return, they acquired Hield and a first round pick in the 2017 NBA draft as the pillars of their haul. The Kings allowed Buddy the freedom to start and play significant minutes, and he showed his potential at that time.
Let us take a closer look at Buddy Hield’s on-court exploits in his time with the Kings to justify the performance grades he received.
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: For this series, the players on the Kings will be graded on a curve, meaning that the grades handed out to each player reflect more about their ranking on the team rather than their actual performance output.
OFFENSE: Grade- A-
I will be the first to admit that I thought the Kings got raked over the coals in the DeMarcus Cousins trade. Sacramento appeared foolish trading away a perennial All-Star for a first round pick and Buddy Hield who had not shown me much with the Pelicans. Hield changed my tune slightly in his 25 contests in a Kings uniform.
Traditional Stats
Buddy Love averaged 15.1 points, 2.4 three-pointers made, 1.8 assists, and 2.1 turnovers per game in his 29.1 minutes a night. His shooting percentages were outstanding for a guard at 48.0% from the field, 42.8% from three-point territory, and 81.4% from the foul line. He showed a diverse offensive game that would look great as a secondary or tertiary scorer on a contending club. Below is a highlight video so you can watch Hield work for yourself. Enjoy.
As you can see from the video, he looks a little more like Jamal Crawford than Chris Paul. I do not think Hield will ever be a big time passer or playmaker on offense. The thing he can do is create his own shot attempts, and the Kings need players like that. Plus, guys who can nails threes at a forty percent clip do not grow on trees.
Advanced Metrics
The advanced metrics approved of Hield’s offensive play with the Kings. (All advanced metrics courtesy of Basketball-Reference). He earned a positive 0.4 offensive win shares and a positive 0.8 offensive box score plus minus.
As I mentioned, Hield impressed me with his offensive play. I think the statistics justify an A- grade for Buddy Love’s offensive performance with the Kings, but maybe it was just that he far and away exceeded my expectations.
DEFENSE: Grade- B
Hield’s traditional defensive stats were not gigantic during his tenure with Sacramento. He averaged 4.1 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 0.1 block, and 1.4 personal fouls per game in his 25 games with the Kings. Those numbers leave you wanting a little more, so let us take a look at the advanced metrics to see if they tell a different tale.
Buddy surprisingly yielded a positive 0.4 defensive win shares with the Kings (and a positive 1.3 for the season which was impressive especially for a rookie). His defensive box score plus/minus was a negative 2.2. This was a weak defensive Kings team so that number is not a huge red flag.
MUST READ: Royal Roundtable: Sixth Man of the Year for the Kings
Hield seems to lack the quickness to guard some of the talents at his position and is not a huge guy to defend larger players. Those facts make me believe Hield will never be a defensive stopper, but if he can improve on the fringes, he will be a solid and passable NBA defender in my opinion.
Overall 2016-2017: Grade- B+
I believe Buddy Hield earned a B+ for his play with the Sacramento Kings. It seemed like a breath of fresh air for him to come to Sacramento and receive a larger role playing starter’s minutes. He rewarded with the Kings his on-court play.
I came away most impressed with three-point shooting ability. The NBA is very much becoming a shooters league, and the Kings lacked three-point shooting the previous season, so Hield filled a big void on the squad. If he can consistently nail his threes at forty plus percent, Sacramento will have a piece of a contending team.
MUST READ: 2017 NBA Draft Lottery Please Don’t Call the Sacramento Kings
Overall, Hield played above my expectations, and that earned him a B+ grade and my belief he is part of the Kings future.
Final Thoughts
There you have it, my 2016-2017 season report card for Chavano “Buddy” Hield. The Sacramento Kings have a lot of work to do to build themselves into a contending team, but they have a few pieces of the puzzle already, and Hield is one of them. They need invest time and resources into improving his game. At just 23 years old there is still a lot of room to grow for Buddy, and that is a mutually beneficial proposition.
Three things I would like to see from Buddy Hield next year are fewer turnovers, getting his head on a swivel to look for teammates with the ball in his hands, and more corner three-pointers. Hield nailed 50.0% of his corner threes with the Kings and 46.9% for the season in that area, so the Kings need to find a way to get him free in the corners for what appears to be very high percentage looks. Just something to watch for in Summer League (if he plays) and as next season rolls around.
Next: Sacramento Kings Report Card: Rudy Gay
A Royal Pain is just getting starting with all the offseason content you desire about the Sacramento Kings. We will be covering the draft, free agency, and all the juicy rumors, so please check in with us often. Thank you for reading.