What’s Buddy Hield’s Ceiling?

As we reflect on our first look at Buddy Hield in NBA Summer League action, just what exactly is his professional ceiling with the New Orleans Pelicans?

Buddy Hield was the biggest name in college basketball last season, even more so than LSU phenom Ben Simmons.

Hield wasn’t a favorite to land among the top picks in the 2016 NBA draft toward the start of the year. In fact, he was viewed as a potential late first-round pick, with some even having him going in the second round when first mock drafts came out.

But then the games were played, and it was clear to anyone who watched that the Oklahoma senior was far and above most of his competition.

Over the course of the season Hield averaged 25.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game with a slash line of .501/.457/.880. He didn’t just put up great numbers, but his team achieved great success in the process, and Hield was at the center of every offensive set.

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His improved shooting from three-point range and handle allowed Hield to utilize a lot of pump fakes to take his man off the dribble and either attack the rim or pull-up from the mid-range. And when he felt he had a clean look, Hield gunned from downtown and stretched the floor efficiently.

The biggest reason for Hield’s improved efficiency wasn’t necessarily the changes made to his release, but his overall shot selection. He stopped settling constantly for outside looks and decided to take his man inside more.

This helped his three-point shooting because it varied his offensive attack and in turn made him a much more deadly weapon on offense.

While Hield wasn’t the most efficient scorer at Summer League (32.7 percent shooting overall in five games for the New Orleans Pelicans), he did put up solid raw numbers and didn’t take as many bad shots as he had in the past.

He separated himself for good looks both off drives and from deep, he just didn’t finish.

He’ll certainly have to figure out how to knock down those clean looks, but he was able to get virtually any shot he wanted was a great sign for his professional development because that was arguably the biggest question regarding his game outside of his defensive abilities.

Hield doesn’t have elite size for his position, but he’s not small by any means. He’s also not exactly a top-flight athlete in terms of speed both with and without the ball in his hands, so some scouts and executives wondered if he had what it takes to create good looks for himself in the NBA.

Hield proved he’ll get his fair share of shots off, now it’s all about tightening up his mechanics and knocking them down with consistency.

Defensively it was good to see him compete and show a willingness to switch and guard whoever on the perimeter as needed.

It was clear that bigger players will bump him around a bit and take advantage of any mismatch at least early on in his career, but his competitive spirit and understanding of the game should give Hield enough to work with on that end of the floor to start.

So what exactly is his ceiling? One player comparison that’s been thrown around if Hield reaches his maximum potential is Dwyane Wade, and I certainly think that’s a lot to live up to but much more realistic than others who name dropped Stephen Curry.

While both Curry and Hield are good at connecting on three-pointers, Hield doesn’t have the same kind of handle or playmaking ability that Curry does. And I’m not so sure he’ll ever get close to that point either.

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Curry is much more than a pure scorer and I think that’s going to serve as Hield’s long-term calling card in the NBA.

Wade on the other hand has an all-around skill set as scorer, playmaker and defender but he’s known for his crafty mid-range game and finishing ability at the rim. At times at Oklahoma Hield flashed a few inside moves and layups that had people thinking about his potential.

Whether it was cutting to the basket off screens or using his own handle to separate himself from his man, Hield showed that he has a high basketball IQ like Wade and knows how to rack up points in a variety of ways.

If he doesn’t make the most of his talent then he’ll probably end up as a shooter off the bench who could potentially land a starting gig later in his career similar to marksman J.J. Redick.

But it’s hard to bet against Hield at this point because he’s improved so much from the start of college up until now. He has a work ethic and drive that rivals some of the current NBA greats, so it’s impossible to officially rule anything out at this point in terms of what he could be.

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Hield has all the tools and talent to develop into a quality All-Star guard. Whether he actually gets there will all depend on how much he builds on his reputation of being a gym rat.