For the Sacramento Kings to have any chance to recover, they need their sharpshooter Buddy Hield to get out of his slump.
The Sacramento Kings stand at 12-19 after 31 games, which places them 10th in the conference, and are currently riding a five-game losing streak.
One of the Kings go-to options, especially in the absence of
, has been
, who is averaging 20.3 points per game on 35% three-point shooting. While his averages might look decent or passable on paper, Hield is struggling mightily with his shooting, defense, and decision making. So what is the cause of Hield’s struggles and how might be be able to snap out of his current slump?
The Shooting Slump
Over the last four games, Hield has averaged 10 points per game on a 22% three-point shooting. While it is difficult to pinpoint the exact cause for his struggles, it is apparent that Hield relies far too much on his 1 on 1 ability, and tends to try to do too much on the offensive end of the floor, which often results in errant shots or questionable decisions.
Many of Hield’s misses have come when he shoots off the dribble, often trying to create off-balance, fadeaway shots, often off of one foot. Contrarily, when Heild is set up by a teammate for a catch-and-shoot opportunity, he excels and is the sharpshooter that he has become known to be.
Turnovers
Throughout the season, Hield has been sloppy with his ball-handling, and has averaged 2.5 turnovers per game due to trying to be more of a playmaker (as mentioned above in the ABC10 interview). During the most recent game against the Rockets, Hield was seen turning the ball over after dribbling the ball between two defenders. Although his ball-handling has not improved during this season, Hield has been better at finding the open man, and is averaging 3 assists per game, up from 1.5 assists in his rookie year.
The Solution
Last season, since the Kings were playing with a faster pace, Hield would leak out and rush to the corners allowing his teammates to look for him. This season, he is playing more isolation ball, which is not his strength. Luke Walton should look to increase the pace when Hield is out there to allow him to get easy looks.
Hield needs to focus on his strength. His primary focus should be to catch and shoot. He should look no further than to Klay Thompson, on how to catch and shoot.
With Hield, there should be a playmaker on the court to help him out at all times. Bogdan Bogdanovic, Cory Joseph, and De’Aaron Fox are three players than can help him succeed in finding him in the corners.
When Hield wants to shoot off the dribble, he should take 1-2 dribbles and get his feet set before shooting. He should also have a good follow-through, as this season he has been quick to pull the trigger and has rushed a good amount of shots.