It took a few games for Steve Kerr to realize that Will Richard should be above Gary Payton II in the Golden State Warriors, but the head coach is yet to make the same decision on another veteran guard in Buddy Hield.
For the second-straight game, Hield was the first man off the bench for the Warriors on Sunday against the Indiana Pacers, while Richard didn't see the floor at all until three minutes into the second-quarter.
By the final buzzer, in which Golden State finally rallied past the Pacers and won 114-83, fans were left wondering how Hield could possibly be getting more minutes than the rookie guard who continues to be incredibly impressive in his short career to date.
Steve Kerr hasn't realized Will Richard's value over Buddy Hield
After a breakout 30-point game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday and 12 in a blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets on Friday, Richard added another 15 in just over 19 minutes on Sunday during the 31-point win.
The most impressive aspect might be the variation in Richard's scoring over recent games. His 30-piece came on 5-of-8 3-point shooting, while his cutting and ability to finish around the basket has been evident over the last two games. The 22-year-old even added a step-back mid-range jump-shot off the dribble early in the fourth-quarter, while also getting to the free-throw line on eight occasions where he made seven.
It wasn't Hield's worse game of the season as he finished with eight points, four rebounds and two assists, but he didn't make a three and the simple eye test suggested there was a significant contrast in impact between he and Richard.
The plus-minus, albeit sometimes misleading in an individual game, also backed that up. Golden State were a +19 in Richard's minutes on the floor, while only a +4 in Hield's as they didn't pull away until late in the third period.
How do you look at Will Richard, and play Podz, Buddy, Pat over him?
— TBS (@TailBoneSteph) November 8, 2025
Like that’s just malpractice
There’s no reason to play Podz or Buddy before Will Richard…not sure there’s a reason to play either of them at all, but def not before Richard.
— Aaron Larsuel (@AaronLarsuel) November 8, 2025
“Early on in camp, you could see he really knew how to play. He’s constantly making the right cut, the right pass, he’s solid, his fundamentals are fantastic," Kerr said in his post-game press conference.
Richard is making an irresistible case for more minutes even with Stephen Curry's expected return on Tuesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Where they come from is now the next question, but Golden State fans are under no doubt that it should be Hield who's now shooting just 32.6% from 3-point range on the season.
Whether Kerr comes to the same realization going forward remains to be seen, but it's becoming increasingly more difficult to argue for the veteran sharpshooter over his young teammate based on their current form and production.