Everyone knows that Golden State Warriors teammates Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield have made for a great comedy duo ever since the former joined the team. However, a humorous moment on Tuesday night reveals a harsh reality for Hield going forward.
In Tuesday's game against the Orlando Magic, Butler inbounded a ball only for it to sail over Hield's head. Butler quickly told Hield that he should have jumped higher to grab it, and that he was never going to pass him the ball again.
Now, it seems Butler said this a little tongue in cheek because the ball was well over Hield's head. However, Butler may end up not passing the ball to Hield very much going forward if his frenemy continues to struggle.
Jimmy Butler's harsh words for Buddy Hield reflect grim reality for Warriors
Unfortunately, Hield has just not been himself so far this season. After a great showing in the opening game of the season against the Los Angeles Lakers, he's since struggled to the point where, if this continues, the Warriors are going to have to figure out what to do with him.
Through the first 16 games of the season, Hield averaged just under 17 minutes per game which is a decrease from his playing time last season. He's subsequently seen his points per game drop to 6.6 after putting up 11.1 points a year ago.
Hield saw more opportunity and played nearly 31 minutes without Golden State's veteran stars on Wednesday against the Miami Heat, but his 18 points came on just 7-of-20 shooting from the floor and 4-of-15 from 3-point range.
Hield's shooting is a real concern for the Warriors, having shot just 29.9% from three-point range which is well down on the 37% he drilled last season and the 39.6% he shoots from downtown on his career.
At his best, Hield is a guy the Warriors can bring off the bench and reliably expect to hit at least a couple of threes to provide some offense. Yet if he's not doing that, then it's questionable on where he brings value to the team.
His comedy routine with Butler is fun, and his energy and silliness are very endearing when he is playing well, making him an easy guy to root for. But when rookie Will Richard is doing the things he does and fellow veterans like Gary Payton II can at least bring some solid defense off the bench, the 32-year-old's role becomes less clear.
No one wants to break up the Butler-Hield duo, but Butler's joke in reference to not passing to Hield may end up becoming a reality sooner rather than later if Hield's playing time continues to dwindle.