Buddy Hield Scouting Report: February 2015

Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

Buddy Hield’s college basketball career got off to an inauspicious start at Oklahoma. As a lesser option on a team with a plethora of talent, Hield experienced the peaks and valleys most freshmen do. He flashed his ability to score in bunches from time to time, but far too often he sat back and deferred to the veterans on the team.

Hield took a major leap forward during his sophomore season, however, taking over as top dog on the roster. He took on the responsibility well, carrying the Sooners to a 23-10 regular season record and a five-seed in the NCAA Tournament.

With one full season under his belt as the leader of the team, Hield looks more comfortable than ever orchestrating things for the Sooners on both ends of the court as a junior.

Offensively, Hield is best in transition where he can use his above-average athleticism and strength to get to the rim and finish. Once he’s taken the ball coast-to-coast, he favors the eurostep to sidestep a backtracking defender and finish. Hield’s versatility is particularly helpful in transition. He can easily serve as the primary ball-handler leading the break, but he’s just as comfortable filling a lane on the wing and firing catch-and-shoot threes.

At 6-foot-4, Hield is marginally undersized for an NBA shooting guard, but his 6-foot-8 wingspan and a muscualar 214-pound frame allow him to compensate for that. To enhance his chances of making it in the NBA as a wing player without elite size, Hield will need to not only demonstrate the ability to knock down threes in spot-up situations with regularity, something he’s shown he can do at Oklahoma, but also develop more skills with the ball in his hands.

Hield has a quick — albeit quirky — release on his jump shot, allowing him to get the ball over the outstretched arms of longer defenders even when the shot is well-contested. As a freshman, Hield shot an abysmal 23.8 percent from beyond the arc on 3.0 attempts per game. Since that season, he’s shown remarkable improvement. This season he is shooting an outstanding 39 percent from deep while more than doubling his attempts per game to 7.2.

In the halfcourt, Hield is a mixed bag with the ball in his hands. He has a propensity to get to the rim in a straight line drive and finish using his sturdy frame if his quick first step gets him by his defender, but things can break down for him quickly if he is unable to get by his defender on his initial dribble. He doesn’t have great shakes and lacks an arsenal of solid moves that would allow him to get around his defender with greater ease and more frequency. Additionally, his ability to create separation off the dribble to create a jumper for himself in isolation leaves a lot to be desired. It’s no wonder why he’s a much worse shooter off the dribble than he is in spot-up situations.

The Sooners frequently utilize Hield in the pick-and-roll in an attempt to free their best scorer to create something for himself or others. He’s decent at creating for himself out of the pick-and-roll, but he sometimes frustrates by not utilizing screens like he should. At times, he waits too late to use the pick, which minimizes the effectiveness of the play. Also, when he does attempt to use the pick to head to the rack, he is stonewalled more than he should be. That’s another instance where better handles would really help his offensive game.

Even when Hield has his head up on the pick-and-roll, he’s an average distributor at best. He’s a willing passer, but his floor vision is limited. It often forces him to make the simple pass that doesn’t progress the offense in the direction it needs to be going.

Defensively, Hield is an absolute terror when he’s locked in. He possesses solid lateral quickness, a decent wingspan, and he’s strong enough to keep his man from simply pushing him out of the way with a shoulder in most instances. He’s excellent at hounding ball-handlers all the way out to midcourt and has the potential to be an above-average perimeter stopper in the NBA.

The biggest issue for Hield defensively is lack of focus. He leaves something to be desired on too many closeouts, where he can at times be overly aggressive or not contest the shot much at all. Off the ball, Hield isn’t as good of a defender, as he can get caught roaming or watching the ball, causing him to lose his man.

Hield’s sharp-shooting ability and potential as a solid defensive stopper will get him a look from NBA teams in the upcoming draft, but for him to further solidify his stock he will need to demonstrate the ability to create offense for himself and others off the dribble. He might be a player who gets drafted but spends a couple years in the NBA D-League developing before getting his first real crack at making an impact in the Association.