When you have been as bad as the Sacramento Kings have been, your icons don't need to have accomplished all that much to earn their status. That's why Buddy Hield – a sharpshooter who spent six years in Sacramento and never once made the playoffs – has earned that designation.
Over the summer, Sactown Sports did a special top 40 players of the last 40 years of Sacramento basketball (a project I got to be a part of). And according to their panel of judges (I was one of those judges), Hield is the franchise's 27th-greatest player since 1985 (right behind Malik Monk and ahead of Jason Thompson).
Since then, Hield has played for three different teams: the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, and Golden State Warriors. That last team added Hield in free agency this past offseason, and since he joined the team, Hield has been swimming in success.
Buddy Hield is killing it on the Golden State Warriors
It's still too early to know for certain, but Hield is looking like one of the best free agency signings of this offseason. His movement shooting has made him the perfect replacement for their longtime starting two-guard, Klay Thompson, whom they said goodbye to last season. On the year, Hield is hitting 50% (98th percentile) of the 13.3 threes he's taking per 75 possessions (100th percentile, per Dunks & Threes).
Hield is also offering something Thompson wasn't toward the end of his tenure: rim pressure via closeout attacking. In the past, Hield hasn't been known for his ability to put pressure on the paint. But this year, he's in the 69th percentile in rim attempts per 75 while also posting a career-high in rim field goal percentage (63%).
Steph Curry & Buddy Hield have a net rating of 56.7 - which is the best among any NBA duo that’s played 40+ mins together 💪💦 pic.twitter.com/TZD8EJ1s0k
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) November 6, 2024
And while he has been known as a turnstile in the past (particularly during his time in Sacramento), Hield has been really committed to the defensive side of the ball in Golden State. On the year, Hield is in the 79th percentile in steal rate among wings and the 80th percentile in deflections per 36 leaguewide (per NBA.com).
The Warriors have emerged as an unexpected threat in the Western Conference. Heading into the season, we thought that the Kings would need to only worry about the Oklahoma City Thunder, Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Memphis Grizzlies, and Minnesota Timberwolves. But it looks like our longtime rivals are also in the picture now, in large part thanks to one of our best players in franchise history.
We can quibble about the little things, but for the most part, Hield never did anything wrong by us. When it comes to those players, you always want to root for their success after they leave. This situation is no different. We just hope Hield's success doesn't come at our expense.