Redrafting the 2016 NBA Draft

Buddy Hield is a historically prolific 3-point shooter in an era of basketball defined by the 3-point shot. He’s no perfect player, but Hield has the capacity to swing games with his jumper. For his career, Heild has shot 39.8 percent on 7.8 attempts per game from deep — many of those attempts well contested and off-balance.

It would be fair to call Hield somewhat one-noted on offense. He doesn’t create for others and he has a tendency to lean almost exclusively on the jump shot. But here’s the thing: it’s hard to find a better value shot than Hield firing away from 3. Now that we’ve moved further away from the high expectations that plagued him in Sacramento, it’s easier to appreciate Hield for the gifted specialist he is.

Hield has had the misfortune of toiling away on bad teams for essentially his entire career. That’s not really his fault. One could argue that Hield didn’t play “winning basketball” in Sacramento, but the Kings have been notoriously aimless and misaligned for the last decade. With no real direction and no continuity system-wise or otherwise, it’s not hard to imagine why Hield’s play suffered.

It’s not quite the same thing in Indiana. The Pacers are rebuilding, but the team is well-constructed and well-coached. Heild is clearly a big part of the offense right now, and while he’s probably too old for a rebuild, his spacing does make life easier on the younger players on the roster.