The Philadelphia 76ers are engaged in a tight battle in the first round of the playoffs with the Boston Celtics. In fact, some of their former cagers are also fighting tooth and nail for their respective ball clubs in the postseason. However, the same cannot be said for one of their former players, who has effectively faded away from relevance in this campaign.
Buddy Hield, who once donned the 76ers colorways in 2024, has continued his disappearing act in the postseason. After Golden State shipped him away (with Jonathan Kuminga) at the trade deadline to Atlanta, he has not gotten any real burn with his new team. Heck, through their first four games in the first round against New York, Hield has logged zero minutes.
The Hawks have been a pleasant surprise since the latter juncture of the regular season, and none of that can be attributed to Hield. He has suited up in just seven games for Atlanta so far, averaging a meager 7.3 minutes a night. As expected, that status quo has persisted in the playoffs, although head coach Quin Snyder has doubled down on benching the veteran by not even handing him a single minute so far.
Former 76ers guard Buddy Hield has disappeared in the playoffs
Hield has always been a temperamental player whose game translates better in the regular season. When he was still part of the 76ers, he was completely unplayable, appearing in just four games for the team against the Knicks in the first round of the 2024 playoffs. Save for a last-ditch explosion in Game 6, Hield was a complete non-factor.
Things seem to have worked out for him last season with the Warriors, though. He was a reliable stud for Golden State in the regular season, but he took things up a notch come playoff time. He was their hero in Game 7 against the Rockets, and was even better against the Timberwolves even though they fell short.
Unfortunately for him, this year has simply been rude to him. He started the year off already struggling from the three-point line, and Steve Kerr eventually veered away from him. Given his one-dimensional skill set, his failure to be reliable in the lone ares he normally excels in ended up being the final straw in his stint with the Warriors and then some.
At this point in time, Atlanta has little use for the former 76ers sharpshooter. They are already humming with their new rotation (even ditching first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher in the process). They are now tied 2-2 with the Knicks in their first-round affair, and as they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Hield's future in the league now appears to be nebulous, and really, he cannot blame anyone but himself.
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