Five reasons Buddy Hield is perfect for the New Orleans Pelicans

2. Can become a capable defender

There is nothing in Hield’s track record to imply that he will ever be an elite defender. However, given his offensive abilities becoming just an average defender should be more than enough for him to have an enormous net positive impact. Hield is not a player with the potential to guard multiple positions. He’s almost exactly the average size of an NBA shooting guard and he doesn’t have the quickness to really slide down and defend point guards.

The arguments in favor of him becoming a capable defender are fairly trite but they’re worth acknowledging. His steal and block rates are unexceptional but they’re not bad either — and earlier in his career when he was less of a scorer his steal rates were borderline elite. Hield carried an enormous offensive load at Oklahoma and was asked to devote nearly all of his energy and then some to scoring. In the NBA, there should be an opportunity for more balance. He is also someone who appears to play with maximum effort at all times, so the concern is less about inattentiveness and passivity and more about being fast enough or long enough to keep up.

Aggressiveness and effort go along way when it comes to defense. He’ll theoretically be playing alongside Jrue Holiday in the backcourt — an excellent defensive point guard who is big enough to cross match with shooting guards if Hield needs to be hidden in certain matchups. The entire team is building towards a more effective defensive system that makes better use of Anthony Davis’ abilities and that structure could help Hield at least hold his own.

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