Why the Hield-Klay comparison isn’t as ridiculous as it once was Originally appeared in NBC Bay Area Sports
“He’ll be a great goal scorer. He’s a very hard worker. He’ll be a tenacious defender. He’s got great physical talent. He’ll help somebody. He’ll have a big impact.”
– Klay Thompson talks about NBA draft prospect Buddy Hield
Klay Thompson couldn’t have known that when he shared this sentiment with me in 2016, he would leave the Warriors eight years later and create an opportunity for him to be replaced with a man he described as his “Bahamian brother.”
On Thursday, three days later Thompson agreed to join the Dallas Mavericksthe Warriors Acquired Buddy Hield to fill much of the void left by Klay’s departure.
It’s a Sign-and-trade transaction with the Philadelphia 76ers (who will receive Golden State’s second-round pick via Dallas) that completes the five-team deal sparked by Thompson’s move.
Although Hield I will never replace Thompson In the hearts of Dub Nation, or in the annals of the NBA postseason, it’s quite conceivable that he could replicate the production that was lost when Klay left for Texas.
Really really.
There was a time when a comparison between Thompson and Hield would have been ridiculous. When all they had in common was their Bahamian heritage and excellent three-point shooting, with Klay more elite than Buddy. While Hield toiled in relative obscurity, Thompson was a core member of the league’s best team, a perennial All-Star and, in 2018-19, a member of the NBA’s All-Defensive team. He was on a bullet train to the Hall of Fame.
But Thompson hasn’t been able to regain that status since missing 31 months after suffering a torn left ACL and right Achilles tendon. Injuries have robbed Klay of his once-stellar perimeter defense, and his shooting has fallen to the same level overall as Hield’s.
A look at the numbers, from the 2021-22 season to the 2023-24 season:
Field goal percentage: Thompson 43.3 percent from the field, Hield 44.8.
Three-point percentage: Thompson 39.7 percent, Hield 39.2.
Season scoring averages per 36 minutes: Thompson 24.9, 23.8, 21.7; Hield 18.2, 19.5, 16.9. The totals are offset somewhat by Hield’s much lower volume, as he averaged fewer than 12 shots per game with the Indiana Pacers and 76ers.
While Thompson’s stats were compiled with the Warriors while he shared the court with Stephen Curry, Hield’s came while playing for the Sacramento Kings, Pacers and 76ers.
From an objective standpoint, Thompson, 34, and Hield, 31, have become very similar players, and that includes defense. Hield’s 115.7 rating last season was slightly better than Thompson’s 116.1. Neither is great, though Klay does tend to hold his own against bigger players.
Additionally, Hield has played a career-high 246 games over the past three seasons, including 84 between Indianapolis and Philadelphia last season. He has yet to reach the “load management” stage.
The Warriors have been preparing for the possibility of Thompson leaving since last summer, when he rejected their offer of a two-year, $48 million contract extension. They went through a maze of metrics, formulating plans from A to Z.
In search of an available point guard capable of providing the shooting and spacing that Klay has provided for more than a decade, there weren’t many attractive options. Two of the five players with more 3-pointers than Thompson (Ray Allen, Reggie Miller) are retired, two others (James Harden, Damian Lillard) are on other rosters and the fifth is Golden State’s point guard.
Of those whose projected value was above the minimum salary, no one was clearly better than Hield. Eric Gordon was an unrestricted free agent, but he is four years older than Hield and quickly committed to the 76ers.
So the Warriors settled on Hield. He will earn $8.7 million in the first season of a $37.4 million contract, almost $6 million less than the $43.2 million Thompson earned in his final season with the Warriors.
Thompson is the Warriors’ only major offseason loss. They responded by adding Kyle Anderson, De’Anthony Melton and Hield. Like Klay, Buddy can have spectacular scoring streaks, but he has a knack for scoring.
For a front office that went into the summer looking to acquire Paul George, this represents a nice Plan C (Hield), D (Melton) and E (Anderson).
When the NBA’s signing moratorium ends at 9:01 a.m. Saturday, the Warriors are one star, Plan B, away from making a remarkable comeback.