Having gone through an inconsistent and often frustrating regular season, Buddy Hield stepped up for the Golden State Warriors when they needed it most during the playoffs.
His astonishing 33-point performance on 9-of-11 3-point shooting in Game 7 against the Houston Rockets will go down in Warrior folklore, before backing that up with a 24-point, eight-rebound display during a Game 1 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Unfortunately Hield and the Warriors weren't potent enough once Stephen Curry went down with a hamstring injury, but the 32-year-old's 42.9% 3-point shooting in the playoffs was still a notable improvement from the 37% he shot during the regular season.
Yet despite Hield's improved form in the playoffs, it also exposed a major problem Golden State still has when it comes to the veteran sharpshooter and his role with the franchise heading into next season.
The Warriors can't be relying on Buddy Hield as a starter
While the Warriors used a consistent starting lineup to go on a surge following the Jimmy Butler trade, Hield was quickly ushered in for Moses Moody for Game 4 of the first-round series and beyond.
It may have worked out and particularly in back-to-back games, but having Hield as a starter is still a less than ideal situation moving forward. There's few fans who envisage that he'll actually be a starter on opening night next season, but it will still take some solving with roster changes this offseason.
Much of the necessity for Hield in the playoffs stemmed from a desperate need for shooting, particularly once Moody started to lose all confidence in his perimeter game. With a need for shooting and a desire to move Draymond Green back to his usual power-forward spot, that leaves one obvious move Golden State needs to make -- acquire a proven, starting quality stretch five.
That would allow the Warriors to retain size and shooting, while pushing Hield back to a sixth or seventh man role which should be his position at this point of his career. Perhaps he may even be a fourth guard if Golden State looking at reuniting with De'Anthony Melton or another more capable on-ball creator this offseason.
That's not to say Hield can't be valuable, but his feast or famine nature is much more suited to a bench role on a team that's still looking to contend. The Warriors should be building a roster this offseason to ensure their reliance on Hield doesn't again reach the level it did during the playoffs.