Top 3 Sacramento Kings players off to a hot start this season: 3. Buddy Hield
A bench role appears to suit the sharpshooter just fine. In the early going, Buddy Hield is putting up better numbers than last year, despite not taking the court at the beginning of a majority of games so far.
In 19 games, Hield is averaging 17.1 points per game, a slight increase from the 16.6 points per game he averaged as a full-time starter in 2020-21. He is improving on his scoring numbers despite a decline in playing time to the tune of nearly six minutes per contest.
Most of Hield’s numbers are within a close margin of last season’s numbers, with the exception of his assist totals, which are down more noticeably. Hield is averaging just 2.0 assists per game, his lowest mark in five years.
As per usual, Hield’s scoring comes courtesy of a seemingly limitless green light from beyond the arc. Hield has ranked second in the NBA in each of the last two seasons in three-point field goal attempts and ranks there once again this season. He’s hitting 39.9 percent of his threes, which would be his best percentage since 2018-19.
Intriguingly, Hield ranks 17th in the league in offensive box plus/minus. It would be the first time he ever finishes in the top 20 in the NBA in the statistic if he keeps it up. Not sure it makes up for his minus-2.2 defensive box plus/minus, though.
Hield may be a liability on defense, but he can be one of the most exciting players on the West Coast if he keeps up his scorching start on offense.