Hield’s X-factor status magnified in Warriors’ win over Pistons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
After playing winning basketball for the first 42 minutes and making a spectacular attempt to lose in the final six, the Warriors on Thursday night escaped with a victory that provides some clarity on the ceiling of their current roster.
It lies not with Stephen Curry or Draymond Green or Andrew Wiggins but with . . . Buddy Hield.
Curry, Green and Wiggins have a Golden State history. We’ve seen their ceilings. With Hield, it’s starting to become apparent.
When Hield is productive on offense, the Warriors can soar.
When he is unproductive on offense, they need Curry and Green and a few others to spare them from sinking.
Hield made an emphatic positive impact at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, scoring a team-high 19 points as the Warriors held on for a 107-104 win over the Pistons that sent Golden State back above .500 at 19-18.
Hield was not alone in delivering. Golden State’s lengthy injury report required others to contribute, and no one stood taller than seldom-used forward Gui Santos, who came off the bench with a spark that created opportunities for himself and his teammates. Trayce Jackson-Davis (14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, team-best plus-16) and Dennis Schröder (13 points, seven assists, plus-7) also had solid games.
But Hield’s 3-point shooting tends to have a profound effect on the team’s collective vitality. His 7-of-15 shooting from the field was welcome, but his 5-of-11 shooting from distance was the straw that stirred Golden State’s offense on a night when Curry (17 points, 5-of-21 from the field, including 2-of-14 from deep) could not.
“Buddy, he’s been pressing,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters in Detroit. “He’s such a great teammate and he cares so much. Everyone was so happy to see him play that way and contribute. It was fun to see him with his smile and making shots and feeling good about everything.”
Hield’s hot start in his first season with the Warriors was integral to their terrific first month. He averaged 16.2 points over the first 15 games, shooting 47.3 percent from the field, including 44.2 percent from deep as they went 12-3.
When Hield went into a prolonged slump, averaging 9.2 points, with 37.8/33.3 percentage splits over the next 21 games, the Warriors were 6-15.
The hard truth is that there will more games when Curry will need a pickup. More games when Jonathan Kuminga, who watched from the bench, won’t be available. More nights when Andrew Wiggins – who is in the Bay Area for an expected addition to his family – will be out of the lineup or ineffective.
Hield’s performance is the closest thing the Warriors have to a individual performance barometer. They’re undefeated (9-0) when he scores at least 18 points, they’re 10-18 when he is short of that total. Getting to 18 points is not a magic number, per se. It guarantees nothing. But it illustrates Hield’s importance.
Curry’s scoring is more of a constant. We’ve seen enough games this season to realize he can be magnificent, and it won’t always be enough to lift the Warriors. Curry cleared the X-factor threshold many years ago. Hield has been that for most of his eight-year career and certainly is that for the Warriors.
They acquired him last summer to fill the scoring void created by the departure of Klay Thompson, who himself had become an X-factor. If Hield is on Golden State’s roster, that is his primary role.
Golden State’s defense has been more good than bad, but its offense has been the opposite – largely because Buddy has been the opposite.
Coming after two staggeringly poor performance that ended in defeat, this was a feel-good victory for the Warriors. Their 18-point shrunk to three, but they had enough pluck and production to survive a rough night from Curry.
“It’s wonderful to see our guys, especially on a night when Steph didn’t shoot it well, generate that kind of offensive or offensive flow, and gain momentum connecting the game back and forth,” Kerr said.
Understand, Hield is, like Thompson was, a streaky scorer. He will have slow games, and he will have white-hot performances. If this is the Warriors’ roster, they must accept this and hope the balance is shifting.
Clarity is one thing, comfort quite another.
