When Buddy Hield led the Golden State Warriors to a blistering start as one of the best players in the league over the first two weeks of the season, rival fans were quick to point out that it had been an ongoing trend for the veteran sharpshooter throughout his career.
While Hield was trying to proclaim that he hadn't been this free since his college days at Oklahoma, fans of his former teams -- most recently the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers -- were quick to assure others that it wouldn't last long.
Warriors have come to a Buddy Hield realization others warned about
Hield was indeed electric through his first eight games, averaging 21.1 points on over 50% shooting from 3-point range to help Golden State to a surprise 7-1 record. But since then it's been a major struggle for the 31-year-old who's averaged just 10 points on less than 40% shooting from the floor and 34.6% from beyond the arc.
Warrior fans have been quick to realize that the Hield cycle is indeed real -- that he usually lights it up for his new team to start, yet quickly descends into an inconsistent offensive player with huge defensive concerns.
That Buddy Hield cycle is real. I tried to give em the benefit of the doubt cause he in GS but damn..
— 4 4 4 (@SlimSleepr) December 28, 2024
I can’t believe the Buddy Hield cycle is actually real
— Anika ✨ (@WardeIICurry30) December 29, 2024
We have officially reached the 3rd stage of the Hield cycle🙌 pic.twitter.com/rEoKqjMU6R
— NBA Memes (@NBAMemes) December 6, 2024
It appears the Warriors have also come to this realization, with Hield's minutes starting to dip over recent games. The former sixth overall pick was an important part of Steve Kerr's rotation over the first 25 games where he averaged 24 minutes, but since then that has dropped to 18.4 minutes over his last six appearances.
That period has also coincided with the arrival of Dennis Schroder, with a large part of that acquisition coming because Hield and Golden State's other options weren't effective next to Stephen Curry in the back court.
Nothing sums up Hield's recent decline more than a viral moment on Saturday where Draymond Green was caught cussing him out during the third-quarter. The Warrior veteran was heard yelling for Hield to "wake the **** up or go sit the **** down," with Green showing no regrets for his actions during the post-game press conference.
Hield was appalling over Friday and Saturday's back-to-back, combining for just five total points on 2-of-15 shooting from the floor and 1-of-13 from 3-point range. If he's going to continue delivering performances like that over the next few weeks, Hield could well become a trade candidate prior to the February 6 deadline.