Buddy Hield

[EMG518]

Lillard was junior, same with KO.

No, actually they were seniors. Lillard was in school from 08/09 to 11/12 and Olynyk was in school from 09/10 to 12/13

They were both redshirted Jr. so... nope

They were in college for 4 years, and were the age of a college senior, whether they were labeled junior or senior is irrelevant. You know that age is what matters here so why even make the comment.

[EMG518]

I think people aren't taking the weakness of this draft into consideration when deciding whether Hield should be a top ten pick. Also, people are really discounting Hield's ability to be a big time scorer without having to dominate the ball and bog down the offense. That is a rare skill.

Well what I do know for a fact is that most americans posters are out in international prospects knowledge and this class is loaded with intl, it could feature almost 15 guys in the top40.
So not paying much attention to other people's rankings or the supposed weakness or lack there of, if that is what is been used to bump Hield stock.

Most american's are uninformed on international prospects while underrating them and most non american's vastly overrate international prospects, it works both ways.

[No-Man]

Nah it doesnt, it is much easier for us to watch college basketball and HS tnmts that for you guys to follow the leagues from Europe, there is also not much tradition with americans doing so whereas a ton of people that follow closely watch a ton of college basketball.
I actually tend to be biased towards american talent and I am european, so...

[rick_21]

Seriously, burning a top10 pick in Hield should be punishable and in late lotto there are just no teams with that type of need honestly, the highest I can see him going as of now is 22 to PHI (via MIA).
Maybe Denver could gamble, even though they have similar profiles (GHarris) with higher ceilings, but having 3 top16 picks give you options, so who knows.

Yeah, you are absolutely right, there isn't a single team in the lottery that could need a 26 PPG 50%3P shooting guard with NBA ready body and solid defensive ability.

Honestly, shooting doesn't matter in the NBA. He should go undrafted.

[Cammo101]

I think people aren't taking the weakness of this draft into consideration when deciding whether Hield should be a top ten pick. Also, people are really discounting Hield's ability to be a big time scorer without having to dominate the ball and bog down the offense. That is a rare skill.

Well what I do know for a fact is that most americans posters are out in international prospects knowledge and this class is loaded with intl, it could feature almost 15 guys in the top40.
So not paying much attention to other people's rankings or the supposed weakness or lack there of, if that is what is been used to bump Hield stock.

I think even if most American fans tried to scout the international guys, they would struggle due to how different the game is there and how little so many of the top prospects actually see the floor. I agree with you that this is a stronger than usual international class, but even with that I don't see it changing much in regards to Hield. Bender is already ahead of him pretty much everywhere, and as of right now the only other foreign guys who could push Hield down look to be Korkmaz and Luwawu. And neither of those are sure things to end up ahead of Hield.

[No-Man]

Bender, Luwawu, Hernangomez, Korkmaz, should easily go ahead of him, Cornelie could too.

[Slartibartfast]

I like Hield in the late teens/early 20. Solid enough 4th guard prospect (a la Fisch's sturdier Ellington/Meeks comps) if he regresses to the mean as a shooter. But if this 50/50/90 shooting isn't a mirage, you are looking at a deadly roleplayer. The problem with Ellington/Meeks is they've been more good than great from 3, which isn't enough when you are meh defensively and can't do much other than spot-up or score in transition.

[Talent Chaser]

I think he is a very comparable to a player like JJ Redick. His ability to come off screens and be a knock down shooter is obviously a huge strength for him and will translate well to the NBA. Buddy has also proven that he doesn't need the ball in his hands to be a scorer which is huge. Look at a guy like Klay Thompson who is assisted on 80% of his shots and 91% of his threes, Buddy not being able to create offense for himself at an elite level doesn't really matter that much considering how lethal his jump shot is. Plenty of posters are going overboard when saying he lacks athleticism and explosiveness. Buddy is definitely athletic enough to be a starting 2 guard in the NBA and he is extremely creative around the basket. There seems to be a skepticism about 4 year guys who dominate as seniors. A lot of it is justified when they are simply overpowering and bullying the competition because they are bigger or stronger than the rest of the NCAA. However, that isn't the case with Hield. His efficiency is incredible and all of his skills should translate to the next level. In the end I think Hield will be picked somewhere between #5 and #9. His combination of shooting ability, craftiness, microwave ability, and work ethic is going to be hard for teams to pass up on.

Most people on this board think really good role players shouldn't be taken in the lottery. However, in reality most NBA teams aren't expecting a starter if they don't have a top 10 pick. If a guy is available in the late lottery and has the ability to become a solid starter like Buddy does you don't pass up on that. Hell, if teams find any sort of rotation player after the lottery it's considered gravy.

[No-Man]

I love role players and I am all for them getting drafted high in the lotto, hell other than 4 guys the rest of this Draft's best case scenario is been a good role player.
My problem with Hield is that I highly doubt that his shot is going to be that good come NBA level, he is insanely hot as of now, but his mechanics are a bit twisted, his release is weird and he is not as quick as guys like Redick, neither has he the height/length of Klay.
Redick is an all time great shooter, comparing Buddy with him is tricky, people underrate how much space Hield is getting thanks to his teammates, he is surrounded by really good underrated NCAA players like Cousins.

[rick_21]

I don't understand, Buddy Hield is on his way to an historical shooting season but people still don't trust him, and keep making absurd comparisons like Wayne Ellington or Jodie Meeks, I just don't know what else he can do to get some respect.

Lets take a look at the numbers via Sports-Reference database. Those are the players in recent NCAA history (since 93-94) that have posted a season with %FG and %3PT better than 50% with at least 100 3PT attempts while scoring more than 20 PPG.

http://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/play-index/psl_finder.cgi?request=1&match=single&year_min=&year_max=&conf_id=&school_id=&class_is_fr=Y&class_is_so=Y&class_is_jr=Y&class_is_sr=Y&pos_is_g=Y&pos_is_gf=Y&pos_is_f=Y&pos_is_fg=Y&pos_is_fc=Y&pos_is_c=Y&pos_is_cf=Y&games_type=A&qual=pts_per_g&c1stat=fg3_pct&c1comp=gt&c1val=.50&c2stat=fg3a&c2comp=gt&c2val=3&c3stat=pts_per_g&c3comp=gt&c3val=20&c4stat=fg_pct&c4comp=gt&c4val=.50&order_by=pts

Nobody came even close to the numbers that Buddy is posting this season. And he is not playing against second-tier competition, he plays in the Big 12 and for the #1 team in the nation.

My problem with Hield is that I highly doubt that his shot is going to be that good come NBA level, he is insanely hot as of now, but his mechanics are a bit twisted, his release is weird and he is not as quick as guys like Redick, neither has he the height/length of Klay.

I have found no reason to think his shot will not translate to the NBA. I don't expect him to shoot 50% from three point range in the NBA, but one of the top 5-10 shooters in the league, why not?

He makes shots off the dribble, coming off of screens, with defenders very close to him. He can knock down shots in all situations. He made three point shots over Ben Simmons the other day. How is that not going to translate, c'mon?

[Ruzious]

I love role players and I am all for them getting drafted high in the lotto, hell other than 4 guys the rest of this Draft's best case scenario is been a good role player.
My problem with Hield is that I highly doubt that his shot is going to be that good come NBA level, he is insanely hot as of now, but his mechanics are a bit twisted, his release is weird and he is not as quick as guys like Redick, neither has he the height/length of Klay.
Redick is an all time great shooter, comparing Buddy with him is tricky, people underrate how much space Hield is getting thanks to his teammates, he is surrounded by really good underrated NCAA players like Cousins.

Redick's gotten more help from his teammates - at both Duke and LAC. Being hot stops being applicable when it's for a full season. He changed his mechanics - he used to foolishly start his jump shot on the other side of his head - now he doesn't - eliminating the wasted movement - which significantly increases the speed to release the ball and makes for a more straight on shot. It doesn't look like he's going to fall back to his old mechanics.

I think Redick belongs in the comps, but Ellington is pushing it, as he was never anywhere near as productive as either Redick or Hield. I can see the Meeks comp - as he was a great shooter and had similar strength, but Meeks had/has more physical limitations similar to Redick with his major lack of length and was/is stiffer as an athlete, imo.

[Undefeated]

Forgot where I saw this, but a scout compared him to Ben Gordon. I think that's fairly accurate although BG was a better athlete.

[No-Man]

Forgot where I saw this, but a scout compared him to Ben Gordon. I think that's fairly accurate although BG was a better athlete.

Much quicker off his feet, more fluid, quicker release, more economic in his moves.
I dont see the killer vibe when I watch Hield, he is good, he is lacking in some areas that are important if you basically going to be an off the ball shooter, I'd compare him with Daequan Cook to a degree too.

[TKainZero]

I just want to watch him on defense for a whole game.
We know what he can do offensively, what about the defense?
His defense is what will set him apart from being a bench player Role player, or a starter

[H2tObes]

I see no reason he can't be a better player than CJ McCollum, Hield is a better prospect than McCollum was imo. As the year goes on more people will realize he is a top 10 talent, honestly have no idea what those who think he is going in the 20's are watching..he is an NBA level athlete unlike a lot of other great senior shooters

[reanimator]

I see no reason he can't be a better player than CJ McCollum, Hield is a better prospect than McCollum was imo.

Show me some clips of Buddy as an adequate ball handler or showing any kind of shiftiness/craft into pullups?

[GimmeDat]

On the comparison to BG, obviously the main difference is height, though. BG was basically 6'1/6'2, he had to be quick and economic with his moves. Buddy looks to be listed at 6'4, I don't think he'll need the elite shooting tools Gordon had. I don't think Hield will be the prolific shooter that Gordon was, but he's got more size to finish at the rim more, and importantly, doesn't have the defensive liability of being an undersized SG.

I see Hield as a starting calibre player, just an excellent role player, on the fringe of a teams 'core'. I don't know why a player like that would fall out of the lottery.

[reanimator]

And let me be clear, I think Buddy will be a good 3+D guy. Someone said Gary Harris..I see him as a better shooter,lesser defender but similar. I personally would not aim for that with the 1st 12 picks or so and like a few other SGs more due to their ball skills.

[No-Man]

And let me be clear, I think Buddy will be a good 3+D guy. Someone said Gary Harris..I see him as a better shooter,lesser defender but similar. I personally would not aim for that with the 1st 12 picks or so and like a few other SGs more due to their ball skills.

he is a worse athlete, Harris is quicker with similar strength.
The comp with McCollum is ridiculous, not nearly as smooth and crafty with the ball, McCollum moves much more naturally.

Buddy tends to stop, think and go, and when he moves he does it with decision and fast, but that hesitation is going to be seen miles ahead in the next level, I doubt he is ever more than a one drive, pull-up shooter guy.

If thats all you bring, along with okay D, you really need to excell at that, and like I said I have my reservations with some of that.

[Old Man Game]

I feel like the 3 guard lineup that Hield runs in next to Cousins and Woodard is an underrated aspect of his success this season. Considering how much he scores he's required to do relatively little in terms of creating for himself. He's almost like a Rip Hamilton with better range.