NBA: Ranking all 30 starting shooting guards for 2017-18

26. Buddy Hield, Sacramento Kings

Buddy Hield‘s rookie year didn’t go according to plan, as he was unceremoniously shipped off by the New Orleans Pelicans as the centerpiece of the DeMarcus Cousins trade. In his limited time with the Sacramento Kings, though, he put up some impressive numbers for a first-year player.

In those 25 games, Hield posted 15.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game, shooting 48 percent from the field and 42.8 percent from downtown. The Kings aren’t expected to be a playoff team this year, which hurts his stock as he takes his lumps in developmental minutes.

The biggest problems here are the inexperience, poor defense and the competition for playing time at his position. Veteran Vince Carter knew what he was signing on for but will still want minutes, and fellow rookie Bogdan Bogdanovic might have a more NBA-ready game. It’ll be on Hield to prove the Kings are right to view him as a franchise pillar moving forward.