3 Expectations for Buddy Hield in First Season With Warriors

Despite Buddy Hield bouncing around to some degree in recent years, he’s a player that can give his teams a lift.

Hield didn’t necessarily have a ton of buzz surrounding him in free agency, but he can be an impact contributor. For the last handful of years, he’s done that primarily off the bench, and by the looks of it, he should again be able to do so.

This coming season, it would appear he should be in a nice destination for his style, too. Hield is now slated to be on the Golden State Warriors, by way of sign-and-trade from the Philadelphia 76ers. Hield’s latest contract is for four years and $37.8 million.

So what should one anticipate seeing from Hield with Golden State this season? Here are three things to keep an eye out for from the veteran in 2024-25.

1 Hield Helps As A Secondary/Connective Ball-Mover

Hield’s passing might be a bit underrated

Hield is not going to be initiating things the way Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and/or Brandin Podziemski feasibly will be, in fairness. That aside, Hield’s passing may be a bit underappreciated.

He’s going to be in games to provide a shooting, spacing and movement boost, but over the course of his career, he has aided in his clubs’ ball movement efforts, too.

Hield should be a meaningful passer as a player that can make good plays to generate kickouts, and historically, he’s made nice plays out of hard closeouts in advantage scenarios.

Over the last five seasons, Hield has posted 3.0 assists per contest, and had an assist rate of 14.3 percent.

He could fit in harmoniously in the Warriors’ offense as a movement shooter himself, but he should also be another ball-mover in his own right that can make a difference there, too. Rarely does the ball stick in Hield’s hands, and with Golden State, he should mesh well from a ball and man movement perspective.

2 Hield Provides A Transition Boost

Hield can make opponents pay if they lose him in the open floor

One of the key ways Hield could give Golden State a lift could be in the transition game/early offense.

Throughout his career, he’s been able to give his teams a boost in early offense as a shooter, and that could materialize with the Warriors here.

He’s been a dangerous open floor player thanks to his deep range, quick release and timing when filling lanes as a perimeter threat. With the Warriors, one could foresee Hield being able to convert his share of transition threes, after hit ahead looks or advantageous feeds.

Along with the catch-and-shoot element, though, Hield is a capable pull-up threat in early offensive situations. With how he can provide a boost as a run-out or trailing shooter, and with his reputation in that aspect, Hield has shown he can pair that with subtle moves off of hard pump fakes.

Clearly, when he’s in games, Hield could be an open floor player to look out for this season and in years ahead for Golden State.

3 Hield Knocks Down Plenty of Deep Looks

Hield should be an impactful shooter for Golden State

Hield has firmly established himself as a player that will fire away, and hit, his share of three-point shots. Over the last four regular seasons, he’s converted 39.2 percent of his three-point attempts, on what has been 8.5 tries per game.

Hield is never going to be gunshy about letting shots fly, and he should have in bunches in his minutes with Golden State. Hield shot 9.5 three-pointers per-36 minutes in his time with the Indiana Pacersat points from 2021-22 until the 2023-24 season prior to him spending part of last season with the 76ers post-trade, and one could foresee him taking a considerable amount with the Warriors.

Granted, the volume could be a bit down with others on Golden State, but Hield is a flamethrower, and while he’s not Klay Thompson, Hield should still be a key factor in the Warriors’ deep shooting efforts, particularly in minutes off the bench.

In the last five seasons, even with him on multiple teams, Hield made an average of 264.4 total three-pointers. Though he’s going to have to acclimate himself, Hield could realistically flourish as a catch-and-shoot weapon and more than capable movement shooter in Golden State’s offense.

Time will tell what Hield’s role will be. However, Hield, who turns 32 in December, should still profile as a player that can mesh well with how the Warriors want to play. And with the varying situations he has been in, Hield should be another valuable veteran resource for younger Warriors players to look to, along with Curry and others.