On February 8th, the Philadelphia 76ers made a deal with the Indiana Pacers and San Antonio Spurs to acquire sharpshooting guard Buddy Hield. The new acquisition scored 20 points in his Sixers debut and has not looked back. Although the team's free fall has continued in Joel Embiid’s absence, Hield has played well. When the team is back to full strength, the addition of an elite shooter and underrated ball handler should pay dividends throughout the playoffs. Let's look closer at Hield’s first month as a Sixer and analyze his impact on the team.
Hield and Joel Embiid will thrive together
It's easy to imagine how Hield will fit into the lineup once Embiid returns and how the two players will benefit each other. The MVP center and sharpshooting perimeter player both have elite gravity in different ways. Embiid’s dominant interior scoring and playmaking forces defenders to collapse, while Hield’s limitless range and sniper-like accuracy forces defenders to stay with him even when he is 35 feet away from the basket.
Putting these two players on the court together will pull the defense in different directions, and this puts immense stress on opposing players. It's a Sixers fan’s dream to imagine a scenario where head coach Nick Nurse has his offense clear out one side of the floor, with Embiid posting up on that side in the low post and Hield out on the wing. Hield is decent when it comes to entry passes, so he can feed the ball to Embiid. At that point, the defense has two choices. They can either give Embiid a one-on-one matchup or Hield’s defender can sag off to help.
Leave Embiid one-on-one and he will score. If Hield’s defender drops down to assist, the big man can kick it out to Hield for a wide-open three. Assume that the other three players are around the perimeter on the other side of the court, one in the corner, one on the wing, and one near the top of the key. If any of those defenders drop down to provide help guarding Embiid, the big man can find them for an open three. If the defense rotates to cover the shooter, Philly can pass the ball around the perimeter, forcing the defense into scramble mode until somebody finds themselves open.
This will be particularly important in the postseason, where teams have historically collapsed their defense on Embiid and forced him to shoot inefficiently and turn the ball over. It will be much more difficult for defenders to help off of their assignments and pester Embiid with a dead-eye shooter such as Hield lurking on the perimeter to make the defenders pay for leaving their assignment.
Even if it isn't Hield’s defender that ventures away to help on Embiid, somebody will have to provide help or the reigning MVP will go off for 50 points. Leaving a man open will still cause the defense to break down and lose its integrity. When this happens, defenders will scramble to cover the open man and the ball can move around the perimeter. Eventually, the ball will likely find its way to Hield, who can convert open looks from deep as if they are layups.
Hield’s presence will reduce the pressure on Tobias Harris
It is no secret that Tobias Harris has had trouble living up to expectations in Philadelphia. Harris is a “fine” player, but the team is paying him to be a superstar. That’s obviously not entirely Harris’ fault, but he still needs to be better for the team to reach its full potential.
Part of the problem Harris is having could be due to pressure. Sometimes, players tend to “press” when they are under pressure, which just makes them struggle more. Think about how it is common for MLB hitters to go into a slump just before they reach a key milestone.
In this case, Hield can take pressure off of Harris by stepping up as another 20ppg scorer who can hit big shots in key moments. Hield seems to have a clutch gene, and he is an absolute sniper from long range.
Hield’s floor spacing will benefit the entire roster
While Maxey has been a clear early beneficiary of Hield’s gravity on offense, he is far from the only player who is benefiting. Although the results haven’t always been there, Hield’s spacing gives guys like Paul Reed and Mo Bamba more room to operate in the post.
When Philly's MVP center returns, that impact will be felt. The duo of Embiid and Hield and their respective gravity in opposite directions will stretch defenses beyond their limits. The two of them working together will put defenders in a nightmare scenario with no correct answer.
The sharpshooter has an underrated driving game
Buddy Hield is known as a shooter first, second and third. He had shown dynamic playmaking ability at Oklahoma and was viewed as having the potential to be a combo guard coming out of college. Once he got to the league, however, his creation skills took a back seat and his shooting has become the story of his career. This isn't surprising, as shooting was always his calling card.
However, while he certainly lived up to his potential as a shooter, his playmaking has been underrated. That doesn't mean it's not there, though. Hield still has the ability to create his own looks. He is particularly effective at using the respect opponents give his shooting ability and leveraging that to get to the rim.
themSome great shooters seem to only be able to shoot the ball. They might be amazing shooters, but if you ask them to dribble in a straight line, there's a good chance they'll dribble it off their foot. There are other great shooters who can see the defenders flying out at them and use the opponent’s momentum against him, dribbling by and attacking the rim. The new Sixers guard is the second type of player, but he can be even more than that.
Hield might not have elite handles, but he is above average in that part of his game. He has a crossover he can go to and an occasional spin move. He can change speed and knows how to use his body to create space. This allows him to create value for the team in ways that other players who are known as pure shooters cannot always do.
While Hield might not be the best player at creating out of the triple threat, he can do it in a pinch. His real value besides shooting is getting past overzealous defenders and creating for himself or others. In that way, Hield can serve as a secondary creator outside of Maxey and Embiid.