One of the big themes for the Sacramento Kings this postseason (other than the fact that they are not in it, again) is that a lot of their former players are blossoming after leaving their team. Of course, the greatest example of this is Tyrese Haliburton, who just helped propel the Indiana Pacers to their second straight Eastern Conference Finals berth.
One of the players who has been thriving since leaving Northern California is Buddy Hield. Hield had a monster Game 7 to help the Golden State Warriors get past the Houston Rockets, and he continued to play a big role for them in their five game series against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Hield is clearly loving his time in the Golden State. In fact, he's enjoying it so much that he made some interesting comments about his time there after the team was officially eliminated after losing in Game 5 on Thursday night.
Hield says he's the happiest he's ever been with the Warriors
Being that the Warriors season is now over, the media present in their interview room after the game thought it appropriate to ask Hield about where he sees his future with the team (he is still under contract for another two years). Here is what Hield had to say:
That first quote is particularly noteworthy. Having played for five teams in nine years, Buddy Hield is what you call an NBA journeyman. So, he is speaking about his experience with a bunch of different organizations when he says that (and his time in high school and collegiate athletics).
However, despite all of his travels, he has still played over half of his career games (385 of 714) with the Kings. That means the biggest portion of his NBA career has been spent in Sacramento. After one year, Hield seems to be much happier with the Warriors than he ever was with the Kings.
To be fair, it is easy to be happy when you are winning. The Warriors' series victory over the Rockets marked the first time that Hield had experienced winning a playoff series. But still, it is telling that yet another former Kings player is thriving elsewhere.