On February 8th, the Sacramento Kings shocked the NBA world, sending rising star Tyrese Haliburton as the key piece in a trade for former Indiana Pacers star Domantas Sabonis. One aspect of the trade that flew under the radar was the Kings’ decision to move Buddy Hield to Indiana as well.
If you were to guess who has made the most three-pointers in the NBA in the last five years, who would you guess? Steph Curry? Damian Lilliard? James Harden? Well – it’s new Indiana Pacer Buddy Hield.
Hield has made an NBA-leading 1,269 three-pointers in the past five years, on extremely high efficiency. There are only six players who have shot at least eight three-pointers per game in that span: the four I mentioned in the last paragraph, Paul George, and Luka Dončić. Among them, Hield is second to just Steph Curry in percentage, shooting 39.8% from deep.
Buddy Hield is one of the best shooters in NBA history – but for reasons unknown (probably being stuck in Sacramento since his rookie season) he has flown under the radar his entire career. The Pacers would be very unwise to ship Hield out in a trade and should consider leaning on him as a future star for the team.
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In his Sacramento half of the season, Hield was used primarily as an off-ball shooter, and as a result put up a modest 14.4 points, 1.9 assists, and 4.0 rebounds per game. Since Hield arrived in Indiana, his numbers have taken a significant jump. Hield is putting up 18.3 points, 4.3 assists, and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Despite the increased load, (Hield is taking three more shots per game) Hield’s efficiency has jumped drastically as well – his Sacramento FG% of 36.5% is significantly lower than his 45.7% mark in Indiana. While this is due in part to taking a higher ratio of two-pointers, the advanced stats still show an efficiency jump. Hield’s true shooting percentage has risen from 52.4% to 57.9% since he joined the Indiana Pacers.
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It isn’t just the advanced stats – Hield’s play has been simply fun to watch in Indiana. In a recent game against the Pistons, Hield unleashed this wicked skip pass we never would’ve seen out of him in Sacramento:
But the main draw, of course, is the shooting. Check out the shots Hield sank when he hit his season high eight threes vs. Milwaukee shortly after the trade.
The volume shooting is incredible – but so, too, is the variety. In this game alone, Hield shows he can hit threes as the pick-and-roll ball-handler or screener. He gave buckets to the Bucks off the catch, off the dribble, in transition, and after offensive rebounds. There’s simply no weakness to his game when it comes to shooting, and that’s a skill set needed on any team.
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Coach Rick Carlisle recently referred to his team as a rebuilding one – but with talents like Haliburton, Hield, and Myles Turner on the roster, they may be able to expedite the rebuild with a good offseason. Indiana currently has the fifth-best lottery odds, so they’ll have an opportunity to add an exciting rookie talent to the roster. Per Spotrac, the Indiana Pacers will be 12th in cap space next season, so they should also be able to bolster the roster through free agency.
Indiana may be closer to being a playoff team than many people think. Keeping Buddy Hield is a necessity if they want their shot at a postseason run next season.
