SAN FRANCISCO – Since the 2019-20 season, just one player has made more 3-pointers than Stephen Curry: Buddy Hield.
While it took Hield over 100 more games and 200 more attempts, when it comes to sheer volume from deep within the regular season, Hield was ahead.
Therefore, it will be only natural for Hield to exchange Klay Thompson, the franchise icon who helped change the sport as a dangerous 3-point shooter with Curry within the backcourt.
Not quite. For the Splash Bros to turn into the Splash Buddies, Hield has to earn it.
“There is no pressure,” Hield said Thursday at San Francisco State University.
“I just come in and do my job. What Klay has done for this organization is incredible. I've loved watching him over the years, he's special. How he can get hot and how he can change the game, what a two-way player he is, what a championship player he is. So I don't see that as pressure, but I think it's just going to be fun to be in that role and see if I get the same attention that he does.”
Hield knows nobody can replicate what Thompson meant to the Bay Area or the Warriors. It could be ridiculous to attempt to emulate him in any way. The query for Hield, nevertheless, shall be whether he can replicate not less than among the high-profile 3-point shooting the Warriors lost when Thompson left.
The veteran said he hasn't spoken at length with the Warriors' coaching staff about his role in Golden State. Last season ended ingloriously in Philadelphia with a first-round exit and Hield was largely out of the rotation.
However, Hield appears to be a everlasting a part of the Warriors’ wing lineup.
Hield's uniquely structured contract pays him like a rotation player for 2 seasons ($18 million guaranteed) and offers the Warriors nearly complete autonomy ($3 million guaranteed within the third yr, then a partially guaranteed player option in 2027-28).
Its takeover guarantees high opportunities and low risk.
The Warriors acquired Hield in a sign-and-trade deal as a part of the six-team deal that also included Thompson. He is entering his ninth season and has a profession three-point percentage of 40% – 14th amongst players with not less than 3,000 attempts.
Although Hield was a comparatively one-dimensional player within the NBA, he’s one of the vital durable players within the league and Warriors general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. praised his off-ball defense.
This summer, Hield played for Warriors assistant coach Chris DeMarco on the Bahamian national team and narrowly missed qualifying for the Olympics.
Hield said he and Thompson recruited DeMarco to Team Bahamas to attempt to bring more legitimacy to the small island nation.
The experience with DeMarco could ease Hield's transition to the Warriors. While his skills fill Golden State's need for more cap space, his time with Philadelphia last yr after the trade deadline is a reminder that adjusting to a brand new team may be difficult.
“I think as far as throwing, Buddy really helps beat Klay,” Dunleavy said in Las Vegas earlier this month. “But beyond that, I think there's room for others to improve in terms of volume and accuracy.”
Aside from Curry, Hield is the one reliable 3-point shooter on the Warriors' roster.
Golden State hopes Brandin Podziemski becomes more comfortable shooting pull-up threes and is optimistic that Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga will improve, but neither will draw the eye of the defense like Thompson.
Especially in lineups with Draymond Green and Trayce Jackson-Davis within the frontcourt, spacing shall be a critical factor.
In these lineups, Hield will likely should share the court with someone who’s a greater shooter than him – something he has never done within the NBA.
“Steph, I've watched him my whole life,” Hield said. “Willing to learn, willing to watch him, see how he executes his shooting technique and his routine. I think it's going to be interesting to learn from him.”
Hield has watched the Warriors throughout their profession, but some internal players are more accustomed to Golden State's system than he’s, who’s battling for minutes on the wing. The lineup includes Kuminga, Moody, Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II, in addition to rookies Kyle Anderson, De'Anthony Melton and Hield.
Despite being eventually taken out of the starting lineup, Thompson averaged 29.7 minutes per game last season. After Kuminga and Wiggins, nobody from this group is prone to see as much playing time. Hield can have to interrupt away from the group to determine himself in Steve Kerr's rotation.
He doesn't have Thompson's championship DNA, so he's not going to be exempt. He's going to should shoot himself into the race.
“I know they’re happy to have me here and I’m happy to be here,” Hield said.
Originally published:
image credit : www.mercurynews.com