Buddy Hield had the greatest game of his career in Game 7 against the Houston Rockets, stepping up when the Golden State Warriors needed him the most. In doing so, he channeled the legendary moments of the player he replaced -- while at the same time making it clear such a game would never have happened if Klay Thompson was still on the team.
The Warriors had their backs to the wall, which was not an unfamiliar place for a team that has won in every type of situation. Game 7, on the road, against a team that was younger, hungrier and more athletic. This version of the Steph Curry Warriors has been around for so long that they have taken on team after team of younger, hungrier players -- and largely come out victorious over them.
That happened once again on Sunday night against the Houston Rockets. Ime Udoka threw everything that he had at Curry and company, and the Warriors had answers. They locked down defensively, limited the turnovers that breathed life into the Houston offense, and gang rebounded to prevent second-chance points.
Yet the only reason all of that worked was that Buddy Hield stepped up and took the mantle of flamethrower. As the Rockets blitzed and doubled and shaded and reacted to Stephen Curry, Hield -- playing in just the 11th playoff game of his career -- took advantage and absolutely torched the Rockets.
The nine-year veteran scored a game-high 33 points on 12-for-15 shooting, including 9-for-11 from deep. The list of players to shoot at least 80 percent on 11 or more 3-point attempts in the playoffs? Buddy Hield and....that's the list. He was unconscious shooting the basketball and it completely undid the Houston Rockets' hopes at a series victory.
Such an offensive explosion from beyond the arc is certainly not unknown to the Warriors and their fans. Stephen Curry is of course the greatest shooter in the history of basketball, but he played for over a decade alongside Klay Thompson, a player who could heat up as hot as anyone who has ever shot the basketball. The legend of "Game 6 Klay" will ring forever through the hallways of Golden State history.
Klay, however, is no longer playing basketball alongside Curry, but left in a sign-and-trade last summer. And with Hield's phenomenal performance, fans have to wrestle with the reality that it should have been Klay, not Buddy, having that all-time playoff moment. At the same time, however, it would have never happened if Klay was still on the roster.
Buddy Hield had the game that Klay could not
Klay Thompson viewed himself as a part of the Warriors' core -- rightfully so, as he was such an important part of their dynasty, a key player with numerous huge performances in the biggest moments. They don't make it to six NBA Finals without him, without question.
Yet it's also clear, if painful, that his game has dropped off more quickly than Curry and (amazingly) Draymond Green. Always a polarizing defender, he has taken a significant step back athletically -- in part because of age, in part because of the back-to-back serious injuries he sustained. No Warriors fan is blaming Klay, but it's undeniable that he is no longer the star he once was.
If he had stayed in Golden State, signing a significant deal to continue battling with Curry and Draymond, they would not be advancing to the second round of the playoffs. They either would not have Jimmy Butler or they would have traded Klay to get him, which would have been an even more painful breakup.
If Klay Thompson was starting beside Curry in Game 7, he may have been capable of the 33-point explosion; he never shot 9-for-11 in the playoffs, but he did shoot 8-for-11 two seasons ago against the Los Angeles Lakers. The problem is that he couldn't have brought the other two things Buddy Hield had over this series: defense and a lack of ego.
Hield never gets to the point of a Game 7 explosion if he doesn't stay locked in despite a fluctuating role. He was holding a small rotation role heading into the playoffs and played a combined 31 minutes over the first two games. Then he was thrust into the starting lineup in Game 3 and 4, only to once again play a minor role in the next two losses. In Game 5 he was -22 in the face of a Houston onslaught, and in Game 6 he went scoreless in 16 minutes with four personal fouls.
Yet Hield was locked in and ready for Game 7, and he came out firing -- on both ends. The Warriors needed Hield to not only be ready to shoot on offense when the Rockets smothered Curry, they needed him to hold up defensively. He replaced Moses Moody in the starting lineup because Moody couldn't hit a shot to save his life, but they therefore needed Hield to replicate Moody's defense.
He stepped up to the task, surviving against a plethora of Houston offensive players looking to attack the weak spot that was Buddy Hield. In years past he would have been a spinning top as he was blown by, but in Game 7 he was ready to go. He had two blocks total in his playoff career prior Sunday; he had two in that one game alone, add in a steal. In a 14-point win he was +17, playing a key two-way role and refusing to be the reason the Warriors lost the game.
Klay Thompson at this point in his career could not have brought that same multi-level impact. He is not capable to summoning that defensive game anymore, and he has become just as streaky as Hield -- yet the idea of sitting or minimizing Klay in key games was not so easy, both because of his personal self-confidence and his history with the team, both of which are understandable. Hield, however, was able to come in and do whatever was asked of him.
If Klay doesn't move on, Buddy Hield is never on the Warriors. Neither, most likely, is Jimmy Butler, as the Warriors ultimately needed the contracts of Kyle Anderson and De'Anthony Melton to bring in Butler, who played a key two-way role in support of Steph as well.
No one will ever replace what Klay Thompson meant to this era of Warriors basketball, but to win in the playoffs in 2025, Buddy Hield is better for the Warriors than Klay. And he showed that in a triumphant way in Game 7.