Sacramento Kings: 2017-18 player grades for Buddy Hield

Strengths

Without question, 3-point shooting remains Hield’s greatest strength. He entered the league with an ability to pull up from anywhere on the floor, and that hasn’t changed much in the pros.

This year, Hield shot 43.1 percent from downtown, which placed him ninth in the NBA among qualified players. He shot well from all around the arc, but he particularly scorched the net from the corner, shooting a blazing 53 percent from those spots.

In some ways, Hield’s shooting numbers actually reached the Steph Curry threshold. According to NBA.com, he made 50.2 percent catch-and-shoot 3s; Curry hit 43.6 percent. He also hit made 42.8 percent of his open 3s (closest defender 4-6 feet away) and 47 percent on wide open looks (closest defender more than six feet away); both rates are comparable to Curry’s — he shot 43.1 and 47.1 percent in those respective situations.

As far as shooting goes, Hield does a passable Curry impression. His tremendous range spaces the floor for the Kings, giving the likes of De’Aaron Fox room to get to the basket and create. Hield’s proficiency from 3-point range alone makes him an invaluable young piece of Sacramento’s future.

That value could increase even further if he continues to improve his defense. In his first full season with the Kings, Hield slightly bettered his defensive rating (from 112 to 111) and his defensive win shares (1.3 to 1.5) while holding opponents to 34.4 percent shooting from deep. This is where Hield’s 6’8″ wingspan comes into play, as he can close out on defenders without having to make up much ground.

At the very least, it seems like Hield could develop into a valuable 3-and-D player. In today’s NBA, those players are extremely necessary, so Hield could carve out a solid career in that role.