Buddy Hield was the playoff hero for the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of their first-round matchup against the Houston Rockets, but that now feels miles away following the veteran's woeful start to the season.
Hield, like many of his Warrior teammates, has been unable to step up over the last two games without Stephen Curry, with his overall form starting to leave Steve Kerr with little choice but to dump him from the rotation.
Buddy Hield is getting scarily close to the edge of the rotation
Hield does have a loveable nature, is a well-respected player within the Golden State locker room, and has categorically been one of the best 3-point shooters in the league over the last decade.
However, the numbers don't lie with the 32-year-old right now. He had only eight points and two turnovers on 3-of-7 shooting against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, while also being a -17 in less than 20 minutes during the 129-104 defeat at Ball Arena.
The Warriors are now -37 in Hield's minutes so far this season, with the noted sharpshooter drilling just 34.9% from 3-point range and 43.8% from the floor overall. If Hield isn't going to provide scoring and efficient shooting for Golden State off bench, how exactly does he continue to play significant minutes in Kerr's rotation?
Rookie guard Will Richard already looks like he should surpass Hield in the rotation, having exploded for a stunning 30-point breakout game against the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday night. Richard showed positive signs again on Friday against the Nuggets, going for 12 points in 19 minutes off the bench despite not seeing the floor until midway through the second-quarter.
Richard might not be the 3-point shooter that Hield is (even though the percentages this season would suggest he is), but he has proven he can contribute defensively, on the glass and as a smart cutter and mover with the offense.
Hield is proving largely one-dimensional, making him hard to play when the 3-point shot isn't falling. He's energetic on defense but hardly blessed on that end, while he's not a player you want handling the ball and making plays off the dribble.
Not only is Hield playing for his spot in the rotation right now, but also for his spot on the roster given his $9.2 million salary is making for an increasingly interesting piece to move in a mid-season trade. The 10-year veteran needs to turn things around quickly, otherwise the Warriors will have little choice but to remove him from the rotation and potentially look to part ways with him in the coming months.