Sacramento Kings: Grade for Buddy Hield through 10 games

What grade does Buddy Hield deserve throughout the first 10 games of the Sacramento Kings’ 2017-18 NBA season?

Buddy Hield came into the 2017-18 NBA season looking to take the next step for the Sacramento Kings. After being the centerpiece of the trade that sent DeMarcus Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans last season, the Kings were hoping to see Hield show development as their top scorer.

Through the first 10 games of the season, Hield has not shown exactly what the Kings were hoping to see. He has yet to show potential as a true No. 1 option on offense and has even been downgraded to a bench role.

Sacramento has seen its 23-year-old shooting guard average 12.3 points per game so far this season to go along with 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He’s shooting 42.5 percent from the field overall and has knocked down 33.3 percent of his 3-point attempts. Those numbers simply aren’t going to get the job done for the Kings.

While his start has not impressed so far this season, Hield showed promise in the Kings’ 94-86 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He looked like a legitimate scoring threat with 21 points on 7-for-9 shooting, and knocked down all four of his 3-pointers as well.

Outside of his 21-point performance against the Thunder though, Hield has scored more than 15 points just twice this season. He has scored under 10 points on three occasions. Sacramento cannot afford to have him continue underwhelming if it wants to take a step forward from last season.

Grading Hield so far this season is not an easy task. There are quite a few issues that he’s faced, but the Kings cannot afford to cut his role down more. Hield has averaged just 24.1 minutes per game, which is not good for his long-term development.

That being said, Sacramento should not panic just yet. Hield is still learning the NBA game and is only in his second season. If anything, the Kings need to give him more opportunities to learn on the fly.

It will be intriguing to see what the rest of the season has in store for Hield. He may not be impressing yet, but there is no denying the star potential he possesses for the future. Sacramento is on the right track, but will need Hield to reach his full potential in order to get back into playoff contention.

Expect to see Hield become more confident as the season progresses. His performance against the Thunder is a big step for him and patience will be a major key with him.

Buddy Hield may not be scoring at the rate he was expected to, but the Kings still have a top-notch talent and will see him begin to reach that full talent throughout the remainder of the season.

Next: 2017-18 Week 4 NBA Power Rankings

Grade: B-