Indiana Pacers: Why what Buddy Hield is doing is special

The Indiana Pacers have been on a tear as of late, and much of that can be attributed to the play of Buddy Hield over the last few weeks. When Hield was acquired from the Kings, he certainly was considered a valuable shooter. But many thought him to be a one-skill player and an inefficient one at that. But in his time in Indiana, especially in the last few weeks, Hield has likely played his way into the future of this franchise.

Let’s take a look at Sacramento Buddy Hield vs. Indiana Buddy Hield. We then compare his stats to his peers this year.

Hield in Sacramento: 16.9 points, 2.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds, 43% FG, 40% FG3

Hield in Indiana: 18 points, 3.5 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 45% FG, 40% FG3

So essentially, Buddy Hield improved in every statistical category. What could be the reasoning? It could be playing with a better supporting cast, having a better coaching room, or playing for a franchise that is used to winning. Whatever the cause, Hield is a better player in Indiana than he was in Sacramento.

In the last few weeks Buddy Hield has been on a tear.

In his last three games, Buddy Hield has scored 28, 25, and 18 respectively. In those games he also shot 86%, 83%, and 42% from three for a combined 16/25. Buddy Hield is scoring at a much improved clip from his time in Sacramento. The difference is night and day.

He is also sitting on league leaderboards for 3Pt field goals made this season, over 10 ahead of Golden State’s Steph Curry, and shooting at nearly the same efficiency. Do you want Steph’s shooting without the heavy pricetag?

Let me introduce you to Buddy Hield.

Will he eventually be traded?

If this is the Buddy Hield that the Pacers will have over the next few years, it likely is worth keeping him in town and on the roster for multiple reasons. First, shooting is hard to find and elite shooting is nearly impossible to find. Hield is a nice piece in that respect. Second, franchise cornerstone Haliburton seems to really enjoy playing with Hield and the two seem to have nice energy together. That alone may be the reason that the Pacers decide to keep Buddy Hield around long term.

There are many teams that want Buddy Hield on their roster, and that just might mean that the Pacers should heavily consider keeping him on their. Only time will tell.