Grading Buddy Hield's Warriors debut: Sharpshooter fills giant shoes immediately

The Golden State Warriors and their front office couldn't have dreamed of a more perfect start for new acquisition Buddy Hield in the team's 139-104 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers at Moda Center on Wednesday night.

Hield's arrival hasn't brought to much fanfare across the league, but after his opening performance in a Warrior jersey, people might be about to change their mind on the impact the 31-year-old sharpshooter could have with the Warriors.

Buddy Hield was excellent in his Warriors debut

No NBA player in the last five seasons -- not even Stephen Curry -- has made more threes than Buddy Hield. After the departure of Klay Thompson, a vast void of sharpshooting excellence was missing. With Paul George heading to Philadelphia, the 76ers were eager to move on from Hield which helped prompt the six-team sign-and-trade that also saw the arrival of Kyle Anderson and Thompson head to the Dallas Mavericks.

Hield has a rather unusual contract with Golden State -- he gets $18M in the first two years, a $3M partial guarantee in 3rd year, and a player option on the non-guaranteed 4th year. Early indications show that the Warriors got a steal with this pickup.

Not even Hield himself could have imagined such an excellent start to his Warriors tenure. After watching the pre-season there was plenty to be excited about, with Hield taking advantage of being in the Warriors' free-flowing, ball-moving, and three-point-heavy system.

Even back in his days at Oklahoma, Hield has always been an elite-level scorer. Bouncing around from team-to-team throughout his career, Buddy brings an offensive punch Golden State desperately needed to try and fill the giant shoes left by Thompson.

The efficiency on opening night is what will really have Dubs fans excited -- 22 points in just 15 minutes on 5-of-7 from downtown. Hield will always be a lethal shooter and threat from the outside, but he can score at all three levels at a high rate. The former sixth overall pick ran the floor hard, defended with intensity and effort, and grabbed five physical rebounds.

Even the finishes around the rim that we saw flashes of in pre-season proved to be no fluke. Hield is a gym rat in the truest sense, and next to Stephen Curry this season could blossom into one of the best sixth men in all the league.

Speaking of Curry, the combination of he and Hield should be one that coach Steve Kerr looks to play together more often. Nothing will ever replace the greatness of the original Splash brothers, but in the first game, you could see Curry and Hield working off each other to generate quality looks. With Draymond setting them up in a point forward role, it will cause significant issues for defenses around the league all season.

Hield wasn't the only new addition to impact opening night. De'Anthony Melton was another new piece that Golden State's front office has had its eye on since his days in Memphis. Due to an unfortunate back injury last season, Melton signed with the Warriors on a one-year prove-it deal.

Melton brings a much-needed two-way presence off the bench, showing his length defensively on Wednesday night by recording three steals to go along with his 10 points and plenty of playmaking capability.

Summary:

Overall, it was a great opening night for the Warriors. The new additions are hard not to be psyched about, and while Portland don't project to be anywhere near a playoff team this season, it's always nice to get that first win under your belt, particularly in such dominant fashion.

Hield's Grade: A+