Buddy Hield has long been one of the best three-point shooters in the league. While he has never been a household name, there is no arguing that he will go down as one of the best snipers of his generation, if not all time. In fact, the Philadelphia 76ers are all too familiar with his skill set, having rostered him for quite a bit a few years back.
Unfortunately, the 33-year-old seems like he is already in the twilight of his career this season, which is way sooner than everyone would have expected. After the Warriors traded him to the Hawks before the deadline as part of the Jonathan Kuminga deal, Hield was quickly entrenched in Quin Snyder's doghouse.
Hield has appeared in just one out of 11 games for the Hawks so far, registering a grant total of five minutes during that stretch. Mind you, this is not even a case of a demotion. At this point, Atlanta is determined not to yield to the prospect of trotting the sharpshooter out in the hardwood, which is probably a huge indication of his current value –– or lack thereof –– in the league.
Former 76ers guard Buddy Hield already has one foot out of the door in his NBA career
As the 76ers are all too familiar with, Hield can become unplayable at times due to his inability to contribute outside of his shooting. Outside of that one playoff game where he could not miss, he was a forgettable cog in Philly, which culminated in his unceremonious exit from the franchise a couple of years back.
Hield did have a very fruitful first season in Golden State, even saving them in Game 7 of their first-round serious against Houston a year ago. However, his three-point prowess took a major drop-off in this campaign. He is draining just 34.2 percent of his threes, which is easily his lowest mark ever as a career 39.5 percent shooter.
Now, it is simply hard to justify giving Hield minutes, especially for the Hawks. Their backcourt defense off the bench is already sus, and they have no practical use for his skill set now that they have CJ McCollum, who is capable of doing so much more than just be a spot-up shooter.
Hield is still under contract for next season while also having a player option to play until the 2027-28 campaign, but at this rate, he might just get bought out during the summer. Nevertheless, his prospects look outright bad at the moment, and until something drastic happens, he will keep lingering on the bench as a glorified benchwarmer.