Sacramento Kings: 2017-18 player grades for Buddy Hield
Weaknesses
For Hield to take that next step, he must continue to work on his game off the dribble. He scored only 0.73 points per possession on ball screens, which ranked him in the 34th percentile of the league. He was better in isolation (0.86 PPP this year), but that total was worse than his 0.93 PPP the season prior — although he averaged fewer isolation possessions last year.
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In general, Hield struggled to score anywhere inside the 3-point line, especially when he shot closer to the rim. He shot just 36.7 percent on drives to the basket and only averaged 0.1 free throw attempts on those chances.
He ranked 60th among guards in field goal percentage from less than five feet from the basket (min. two FGA per game), although he shoots a respectable 63.1 percent at the rim. On the plus side, he shoots free throws well (87.7 percent), but he almost never gets to the line (one attempt per game).
Hield isn’t much of a playmaker either. Out of 110 guards who played at least 60 games this year, Hield ranked 80th in passes per game (23.6), 69th in assist-to-pass percentage (8.2) and 76th in potential assists (3.9). His assist rate (12.8) was only a smidgeon higher than his turnover rate (11.3). Simply put, Hield had a hard time creating chances for himself and his teammates.
This explains why the Kings offense only improved by 2.9 points per 100 possessions when Hield was on the floor. He doesn’t have to transform into James Harden overnight, but he has to improve his non-shooting offensive skills to bolster his value. Ask the Golden State Warriors how important it is to have multiple guys that can create their own shot.