Buddy Hield
VITALS
From:
Oklahoma
Height/weight:
6-foot-5, 212 pounds
2015-16 stats (freshman):
Points:
25.0
Rebounds:
5.7
Assists
2.0
Steals
1.1
Overview
An NCAA rarity in more ways than one, Buddy Hield stands out among the top prospects of the 2016 draft class, partly by having playing four years of college basketball. After progressing steadily during his career with the Oklahoma Sooners, Hield also became the first player since 1990 to lead his team to the Final Four while averaging 25.0 points per game or more in the same season. The 22-year-old captivated college hoops fans with a lethal long-range shot (45.7 percent from three-point range in 2015-16) and outgoing personality that led to popular descriptions such as “Buddy Ball” and the “Buddy Show.” Even CNN.com, of all news sources, called Hield “the best show in the NCAA tourney since Stephen Curry” during the Final Four.
What draft analysts like…
He’s expected to be able to help an NBA team immediately and his perimeter shot is so accurate that CBSSports.com posted a video describing Hield as “a flame-throwing rainmaker.” As NBA.com put it, “Hield will be one of the most NBA-ready players in the draft.” Hield, who scored 37 points vs. Oregon to vault Oklahoma into the Final Four, showed notable improvement in college based on his work ethic. “His shooting percentages improved dramatically,” SI.com assessed. “Half the players on the board here will be drafted on the assumption that they can improve some glaring weakness, but Buddy has shown he can actually do it.”
What draft analysts wonder…
How formidable of a defender will Hield be in the NBA? According to DraftExpress.com, “(one) pressing question surrounding Hield is his defense. While that was considered a clear weakness in the past, he’s improved his effort level and fundamentals, and eliminated enough of the bad habits he had in this area that it’s not as big a weakness as it may have been in the past.”
Post-lottery projections
Where various prominent NBA websites predict he will be picked, along with excerpted comments from the respective mock drafts:
- NBA.com (fifth to Timberwolves): “Upgrading the 3-point game is a Minnesota priority, and that’s Hield. Think he’d get some open looks playing with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins?”
- ESPN.com (sixth to Pelicans): “New Orleans really needs shooting, and they want to get better fast. Hield could come in and play right away.”
- The Vertical (seventh to Nuggets): “The Nuggets have built a very promising core and will likely be attracted to the strong perimeter shooting and overall scoring of Hield… His deficiencies defensively could be mitigated by playing alongside a tall and physically gifted point guard in Emanuel Mudiay.”
- SI.com (sixth to Pelicans): “There are other players New Orleans could gamble on here, but with Anthony Davis about to hit his prime and create an endless stream of open looks, it might make the most sense to grab the Bahamian J.J. Redick while they have the chance.”
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