Sitting in the middle of the Golden State Warriors' struggles is Buddy Hield, who is averaging 7.2 points per game on 30% shooting from three in 16.8 minutes in 13 contests. In the past three games, Hield didn't make a single three-pointer, shooting 0-of-7 from three. Hield hasn't been able to break out of the slump he's in.
Rookie Will Richards is averaging 9.4 minutes per game on 44.1% shooting from deep in 18.1 minutes per game. No one predicted that Richards, a second-round pick in last June's draft, would be outplaying Hield to start the season.
Then you have Moses Moody, who is off to a hot start, averaging 12.3 points per game on 44.3% shooting from three in 22.9 minutes. As much as it helps that Golden State has been able to turn to Moody and Richards as Hield has gone cold, the Warriors need Buddy Hield to be Buddy Hield again.
Buddy Hield's shooting slump continues with the Warriors
The 32-year-old has built his reputation as one of the best three-point shooters. Last season with the Warriors, he shot 37% from deep on 6.7 attempts per game in 22.7 minutes across 82 contests. The front office didn't want to lose Hield in a Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade because they needed his spacing, but that version of Hield has yet to show up this season.
Does that mean that he won't? No. Every player goes through shooting slumps. You can't write Hield off after 13 games, but in the meantime, Moody and Richards should continue to play more than he does, at least until his shots start falling again.
Hield also found himself in a shooting slump at the beginning of last season, breaking out with a 27-point performance against the Timberwolves in December, shooting 7-of-13 from three. He said after that game that he doesn't lose confidence, not even when his shot isn't falling. That's the mentality that you need to have, believing that your next shot will go in.
The Warriors are currently ninth in the West with a 7-6 record. The hope is that they'll end the regular season in the top six, avoiding the play-in tournament, unlike last year. They will need all hands on deck to make the kind of championship run that they're pushing toward, including Hield. In other words, they need his shots to start falling.
Cross your fingers that it won't be too long until that starts happening.