When Buddy Hield is hitting 3-pointers, there's a sense of serenity in Warriors Land. It makes everything easier; the floor can be spaced better, he takes some pressure off Steph Curry, and he can hit a barrage of 3-pointers at a moment's notice.
When Buddy Hield isn't hitting 3-pointers, the argument for playing him big minutes becomes a little less clear-cut. When he's not hitting 3-pointers and other role players on the Warriors are producing more consistently, then Hield's place in the rotation in general becomes precarious, and that's the situation we find ourselves in right now. On the season, Hield is shooting just 32% from 3-point range and has a VORP of minus-0.1, meaning he grades out as worse than a replacement level player.
Meanwhile, rookie Will Richard and emerging scorer Moses Moody have both impressed in their minutes, leading Warriors fans to call for those two to take over Hield's minutes, which have been rough more than they've been good this year.
Hield's minutes are already down this year; he's averaging 17.9 minutes per game, while Richard is right behind him at 17.2 and Moody is up to a career-high 22.9. With each day that Moody improves and Richard continues to impress, Hield's share of the second-unit backcourt minutes might slip away.
Is Buddy Hield in danger of losing his roster spot?
Probably not entirely; with how solid he was last year, it's hard to imagine Hield completely falling out of the lineup. But Moody has been shooting the ball much better than Hield, and Richard contributes a lot more than just scoring; his hustle and instincts are what have made him valuable (although the 40% 3-point clip doesn't hurt, either).
On a Warriors team that's still figuring out exactly what its rotation will be this year, I am not suggesting that Hield gets banished to the bench permanently. But turning into a 10-ish minute per game guy while he shoots himself out of a slump would be beneficial for him and the team; plus, it would instill more confidence in two young Warriors who have come on strong in 2025 in Richard and Moody.
Every shooter in NBA history has slumped. I am confident that Hield, who's made over 2100 3-pointers in his NBA career, will bust out of this sooner than later. But in the meantime, it's worth toning down the Buddy minutes and getting some more run for a few other Warriors who are doing more to help the team nightly.