A Royal Pain
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Sacramento Kings: Buddy Hield – A Gift & A Curse

By Anthony Cardenas

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 20: Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center on February 20, 2020 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 20: Buddy Hield #24 of the Sacramento Kings looks on during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Golden 1 Center on February 20, 2020 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/Getty Images) /
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Sacramento Kings Buddy Hield (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
Sacramento Kings Buddy Hield (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Decision Making & Basketball IQ

The glaring weakness for Hield has always been his defense, though he has shown slight improvements this season. The area that is often overlooked when evaluating Hield’s game, however, is his decision-making and basketball IQ.

Hield’s turnover numbers have taken a serious spike and are by far the highest of his career. The issue with his 2.3 turnovers per game is that they often come in the crunch time of games when the Kings need nothing more than ball protection. There have been at least a couple of outcomes this season that were directly affected by a poor decision that Hield made in the late going.

The mental lapses affect Hield on the defensive end as well. He gets lost on switches, loses his man, and seems to have constant communication issues. Some guys can make up for a lack of athleticism on defense by having a good basketball IQ, but Hield is certainly not one of them.

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It can be argued that the coaching staff has not exactly put Hield in a position to be successful, or to build on his success from last season. He has inexplicably been used as a primary ball handler in certain situations, especially during the span of games that De’Aaron Fox missed back in December. This is anything but Hield’s strong point, and him being in a position to make crucial decisions has backfired on the Kings on multiple occasions.

Hield’s inability to keep the ball safe in the closing minutes of certain contests has caused Luke Walton to make drastic changes to his crunch time lineups. Back in December, a benching of Hield late in a game caused him to speak out in the media about trust issues between the players and the coaching staff. Nearly three months later, the issue apparently still persists; in a recent game against the Raptors, the Kings found themselves with possession of the ball and down by three in the closing seconds.

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Buddy Hield was not even in the game. Nemanja Bjelica took the big shot for Sacramento and threw up an air ball.

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