There's few players in the NBA that can go from feast to famine like Buddy Hield, with that having been painfully proven for the Golden State Warriors over the course of this season.
Hield had actually rounded into some form prior to Wednesday's meeting with the Dallas Mavericks, having scored at least 14 points in each of the last four games including making a combined 14 threes at 41.7% during that period.
Steve Kerr still hasn't learned a crucial Buddy Hield lesson
Yet recent form should probably go out the window for Hield when evaluating his game -- sometimes he's really hot and therefore an effective player, other night he's really cold and becomes nothing short of a liability on both ends of the floor.
Wednesday night certainly delivered the latter, with Hield scoring just three points (1-of-9 shooting) in a 111-107 defeat to the Mavericks at American Airlines Center. The veteran sharpshooter went just 1-of-6 from beyond the arc as he and starting backcourt teammate Stephen Curry combined to shoot only 5-of-19 from distance in a disappointing four-point loss.
The strangest aspect was that Hield was obviously cold, having shot 1-of-6 and being a -9 in just over 15 first-half minutes. Yet for a reason not exactly clear to many others, Steve Kerr continued to play the 31-year-old for nearly 14 equally disastrous second-half minutes.
Hield finished as a -21 in 29 minutes, meaning the Warriors were a +17 in 18 minutes when he was on the bench. Not for the first time this season, Kerr inexplicably played his starting two-guard for way too long, leading to legitimate frustration and confusion among fans.
Steve Kerr has sick obsession with Buddy Hield but quickest leash on guys like Moody and Kuminga
— 🫵👍 (@AndyKHLiu) February 13, 2025
Look at Buddy Hield's statline and then ask yourself why Kerr is playing him like he's the 3rd most important player on this team. No offense. No defense. Forces lineups that are too small. Ask yourself why. Ask yourself if I'm justified when I get upset with Kerr. pic.twitter.com/tRjTJ3KJDM
— Jim Park🏀🌌 (@Sheridanblog) February 13, 2025
Couple of times tonight Draymond/Steph have shown frustration toward Buddy Hield. Something to monitor moving forward as the games start to feel more meaningful again for the Warriors stars. Warriors need his shooting but as the stakes rise, his mistakes become more galling.
— John Dickinson (@JDJohnDickinson) February 13, 2025
Kerr will undoubtedly point to the spacing and gravity that Hield provides, which is certainly something Golden State lacks elsewhere on the roster. But at some point you also can't ignore the facts and what's right in front of you -- Hield has shot a paltry 31.9% from deep in 35 games since December 1.
Brandin Podziemski played nearly five minutes less than Hield -- why? Sure, the second-year guard wasn't a 3-point threat either on Wednesday, but at least he impacts the game in other ways with his rebounding, playmaking and defense.
You could even argue that Gary Payton II should have played more, particularly given Kyrie Irving went off for 42 points on 7-of-10 3-point shooting. Payton played just over 16 minutes, hit two rare threes himself, was found multiple times on baseline cuts and finished with 14 points. He, Podziemski, Moses Moody and Gui Santos (all viable options to have played more than Hield) recorded positive plus-minuses despite the loss.
Kerr's continued faith in Hield is admirable, but has also reached a point of being flat out bizarre and far too frustrating for most fans. Hopefully the All-Star break can be a turning point for Hield as he prepares to represent the Warriors in the 3-point shooting contest on his home floor.