Steph believes Buddy gives Warriors ‘seamless transition’ from Klay originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Buddy Hield made a splash in his Warriors regular-season debut Wednesday night, hitting five 3-pointers in Golden State victory 139-104 about the Portland Trail Blazers.
It was a welcome sight for Steph Curry, who believes Hield can fill the team’s scoring void left by the departure of Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks this offseason.
“Without Klay, you need to shoot, but we needed to shoot anyway,” Curry told reporters after the game (h/t Anthony Slater of The Athletic). “Me and (Hield) have been one and two (in 3-point shooting), and Klay is there shooting threes for the last eight years, so we know what (Hield’s) skills are, we know what he’s capable of doing. .
“It’s been a very smooth transition so far.”
Hield brings what the Warriors miss most about Thompson: three-point shooting. Thompson was the Warriors’ second-leading scorer last season behind Curry. But in Hield, Golden State acquired a player who made 1,322 3-pointers over the past five seasons, the most in the NBA, and his new teammate Curry ranks second over that span with 1,264.
This was on display Wednesday night as Hield scored 22 points with 8 of 12 field goals and 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Curry, meanwhile, was the Warriors’ third-leading scorer against the Trail Blazers with 17 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 3-of-7 from deep, behind Andrew Wiggins’ 20 points and four 3-pointers.
Finding Curry some scoring help was one of general manager Mike Dunleavy’s main goals this offseason, and while the Warriors didn’t land a star like Paul George or Lauri MarkkanenHield’s skill set appears to be a suitable acquisition in a single game.
Hield told reporters after the game that he hadn’t felt this free playing basketball since he played college basketball at Oklahoma. And it’s clear Curry is glad to have Hield’s free-spirited game now on the Warriors’ side, especially after what they lost in Thompson.
“He’s from this world. He loves this game,” Curry told Hield reporters (h/t 95.7 The Game). “He is happy to be able to play in a system in which he feels comfortable…
“I know he’s played against us for years… being on the other side is demoralizing for a team, but now he can contribute to that, so it’s a cool experience for him.”