Despite recently getting back in the win column by defeating the struggling Phoenix Suns, the Golden State Warriors have largely played uninspiring as of late. After looking like legitimate contenders throughout the first month and change of the season, the Warriors have unraveled ever since, looking much more like pretenders as of late. Even after taking a mini swing and acquiring Dennis Schroder, little has changed. The Warriors are just 2-4 in the games Schroder has been active for.
Stephen Curry is still playing at or near his peak, doing absolutely mind-boggling things on a regular basis. Jonathan Kuminga seems to finally be coming into his own. And Andrew Wiggins and Draymond Green continue to perform mostly up to their standards. Some of the other members of the Warriors’ supporting cast however, have really taken substantial steps back since starting the campaign off strong. One supporting cast member in particular, who’s play has seemingly fallen off a cliff following a strong first month of the season, is Buddy Hield.
The Disappearing Act of Warriors’ Most Significant Offseason Addition
Analysis of Buddy Hield’s First 15 Games
Buddy Hield began his Warriors career on quite the heater. The former sixth overall pick routinely demonstrated his ignitability from long range, and even kept the Warriors afloat with his offensive exploits during Curry’s multi-game injury absence earlier in the season. Mostly coming off the bench, Hield was an early favorite to take home Sixth Man of the Year honors. Additionally, with his fiery three-point shooting, Hield made significant strides in easing the heartache of many Warriors fans still bemoaning the loss of Klay Thompson.
During Hield’s first 15 games with the Warriors, there seemed to be a real connection between him and his teammates, and with the coaching staff—the chemistry was palpable. Hield understood the assignment, and was deployed accordingly. The fit from a team perspective, strategic perspective, and organization perspective all seemed like a match made in heaven. Hield himself even went as far as to say that joining the Warriors really reignited his ‘love for basketball’. For a team in dire need of shooting and offensive support for Curry, the 16.2 points per game that Hield was providing—while canning 44.2% of his triples no less—was really a revelation during the early season for the Warriors.
Analysis of Buddy Hield’s Last 16 Games
For whatever reason, following Hield’s dynamic first 15-game run, things took a dramatic turn for the worse. It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what caused Hield’s production to take a dip, but in no uncertain terms, Hield has been almost unplayable as of late due to his struggles. Pick a stat—any stat—and Hield has likely been struggling, and it’s beginning to weigh on his teammates.
Over the course of Hield’s last 16 games, he’s averaging just 9.8 points per game, and his three-point shooting is all the way down to 34.9%. Those numbers on their own may not seem reprehensible, but considering Hield is essentially a complete and total non-factor in most other areas, it’s understandable that coach Kerr has begun to slash his minutes.
It’s impossible to tell when Hield will be able to get out of his slump, but if Saturday’s win over the Suns is any sort of a reference point, it won’t be anytime soon. Hield’s struggles reached a new nadir on Saturday, when he put up zero points on 0-7 shooting in 15 minutes.
Last Word
The massive drop off in play the Warriors have experienced over the last month or two goes far beyond just Buddy Hield’s struggles. But with that being said, Hield failing to provide the off the bench spark that he did earlier in the season certainly isn’t helping. After starting out strong, Hield has continually shown an inability to be counted on by the Warriors. Unfortunately for Hield, his minutes have begun to shrink accordingly. Hield, who at one time looked like a strong candidate to be a mainstay in many of the Warriors’ most featured lineups now no longer even feels deserving of guaranteed minutes. Hield’s situation will be worth monitoring because there’s a chance if his play doesn’t pick up, he won’t even survive the trade deadline with the Warriors.
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