Sacramento Kings: Ranking De’Aaron Fox and the rest of the starting 5

3. Buddy Hield

Buddy Hield is quickly becoming one of the most polarizing players in the NBA. After being subjected to a torrent of trade rumors this offseason, the shooting guard returned to the Kings and provided the franchise with an opening night highlight, a tip-in at the buzzer to defeat the Nuggets.

Hield’s best ability on the floor is to score. That’s part of what makes his early returns in 2020-21 so concerning. His 15.9 points per game would be his worst scoring average in three years, and his 36.3 percent shooting from the field, 36.1 percent shooting from three, and 78.6 percent shooting from the charity stripe would all be career-worst marks; Hield is averaging more than ten attempts from three per game, so he needs to improve on his shooting from the perimeter.

Still, Hield ranks above Barnes because of the memory of that buzzer-beater in the opener. The guard has a nose for the basket and a certain level of dynamism when he has the ball in his hands. The sample size on his shooting is small and needs more time to marinate – he’s hit at least 40 percent of his threes in two of the last four games.

Despite not coming into the NBA until 2016, Hield is the same age as Barnes (28). If he wants to be part of Sacramento’s long-term future, he needs to show what he can do when his shot is not falling.