Sacramento Kings: Buddy Buckets Living Up To His Name

The progression Buddy Hield has made with the Sacramento Kings has turned him into one of the league’s best shooters.

Buddy Hield’s progression in the span of three years has surpassed my projections as I thought he would be a sharpshooter by his fifth season. But here we are. The once borderline bust with the New Orleans Pelicans to now a three-point contest contestant this fast has blown my mind.

Looking At Hield’s Rookie Numbers

Buddy’s jump from the Pelicans to the Kings has really been something, even during his rookie season.

Buddy thrived immediately with the purple and white as shown by his numbers. His points per game increased from 8.6 to 15.1, his overall shooting percentage went from 39.3% to 48%, and his three-point shooting increased from 36.9% to 42.8%.

Buddy was a natural fit for the Kings’ style of play, while with the Pelicans, he struggled to find his role with Anthony Davis and company.

Buddy Hield leads the Purple and White in scoring this season

Buddy Hield is currently sitting in fourth place in the NBA in three-point shooting accuracy. Hield has made 193 shots out of 434 attempted for a 44.9% success rate. The Kings need Hield’s long ball to win games. Dave Joerger has used him as a key piece to the offense as his presence opens up the floor for everybody else’s offensive games.

Scoring down low or midrange shots are available because opponents have to respect Hield’s shot from beyond the arch. Add the fact that the Kings are a top-five team in perimeter shooting, this forces the opposing team to decide who to cover.

Buddy Is More Than His Numbers

So what we know is Hield is a proven shooter as his numbers have all gone up every single year. What the statistics don’t show is how Buddy is much more than just a shooter.

Playmaker, active rebounder, and a lively defender are also characteristics that describe Hield’s game. When Hield is on fire from the beyond the arch, the defense can only hope to slow him down. But Hield has also developed into an asset in other aspects of the game.

Playing 31 minutes is being conservative with Hield. If allowed to play closer to 40 minutes per game,  Buddy could hit the 50-point game that so far has alluded him. He is only three years into his career so that 50+ point game will happen and be one of many, in my opinion.

Thoughts On Buddy’s Future

Will Buddy Hield be a Steph Curry type player? That is a tough act to follow, so a close second with great numbers is acceptable. Will he get better with his ball handling, passing, and shooting beyond the arch? Most definitely he will.

Projections for Hield in scoring and rebounds is years ahead of schedule. Even with his work ethic, I thought we would see this level of play later on. The addition of Harrison Barnes as a legit small forward will make Hield’s efficiency grow. A perfect scene would be seeing Buddy, Harrison, and Marvin Bagley III fight for the leading scorer next season.

History has proven Buddy Buckets’ numbers always go up, and I expect that same pattern to continue as the Kings’ rebuild keeps growing.