‘I think it’s me’: Kings guard Buddy Hield lays blame after loss to Memphis Grizzlies
Kings guard Buddy Hield started pointing fingers following a 119-115 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night at Fed Ex Forum in Memphis, Tenn.
The issues facing the Kings right now are layered and nuanced. This is a team in desperate need of continuity after De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley III and Bogdan Bogdanovic have floated in and out of the lineup due to injuries over the first 29 games of the season, but Hield believes there is one person to blame.
“I think it’s me,” he said. “I’m just a little out of rhythm. I don’t know why. Everything just feels a little weird and I’m trying to figure it out.”
The truth about Sacramento’s struggles isn’t that simple, but give Hield credit for shouldering the responsibility. He has been mired in one of the more prolonged shooting slumps of his career and he knows it.
Hield took 21 shots against Memphis and missed 18 of them. He was 2 of 11 from 3-point range and finished with eight points one night after being held to seven points on 3-of-15 shooting in a loss to the Indiana Pacers. Hield is one of the best shooters on the planet, but right now Buddy Buckets can’t buy a basket with the $86 million contract extension he signed in October.
“I’ve got to do a better job of putting the ball in the hole,” Hield said.
Hield talked about getting back to Sacramento to see his young daughter after playing 12 of the last 16 games on the road. He talked about getting better shots and being more selective. He said he needs to get to the free-throw line more.
“It’s not an excuse, but I’ve got to get more catch-and-shoot, easy ones,” he said.
Hield grew up in the Bahamas and learned to shoot on a makeshift hoop he made using a plastic crate and a piece of plywood. From a humble upbringing and a heroic mother, he has grown into a player who is studied closely by every coach in the NBA.
He shot 42.7 percent from 3-point range last season. He finished third in the 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend. He became the first player in NBA history to make 600 3-pointers in his first three NBA season, surpassing the likes of Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and everyone else who has ever lived.
“Buddy’s a great shooter,” Kings coach Luke Walton said before Saturday’s game. “He’s a hard worker. People are going to make and miss shots in this league and he was in the gym getting shots up today, so we’re not concerned with Buddy. He’ll get it going more nights than not.”
Hield was starting to look like himself before the Kings went to Indianapolis and Memphis. In the previous six games, he made 28 of 59 (.475) from 3-point range, but that was preceded by a five-game stretch in which he made just 15 of 61 (.246) from beyond the arc.
Last season, Hield had a three-game stretch in late December in which he made 4 of 19 (.211) from 3-point range and a three-game stretch in February in which he made 7 of 24 (.292), but he didn’t have the extended slumps he has encountered this season.
“Last year, I had a lot of catch-and-shoot opportunities,” Hield said. “This year, there aren’t (as many) because guys are top locking. I’m not getting as many easy looks as I did last year. That comes with respect as a player, (but) I could do a better job.”
Hield has not lost the confidence of his teammates. Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox said Hield helps his team whether he’s making shots or not because he commands respect from the opposition, drawing attention from the defense.
“Sometimes you just go through a shooting slump,” Fox said. “With Buddy, you know his work ethic. We just need to give him some easy looks and let him see the ball go through the basket. He helps us so much, even if he’s not making shots, because of the gravity he holds. People are still going to gravitate toward him defensively, so I feel like he still helps us even if his shot’s not falling.”
Hield admits he is part of the problem right now, but he’s also part of the solution. He’s one of the best shooters in the world and he can help the Kings reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006 if this team finds itself soon, but things are weird right now and they’re trying to figure it out.
Hield’s rhythm is off — that’s true for the entire team — but if they get it going, look out.
Hield and his teammates were looking forward to returning to Sacramento. Some of them talked about sleeping in their own beds. Some talked about playing in front of the home crowd.
Hield talked about seeing his daughter. Maybe the look in his little girl’s eyes will bring it all back.
“I don’t know what it is,” Hield said. “We just have to figure it out and I have to do a better job of putting the ball in the hole. That’s my job and I have to do it.”
Kings upcoming schedule
Dec. 23 vs. Houston Rockets, 7 p.m.
Dec. 26 vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, 7 p.m.
Dec. 28 vs. Phoenix Suns, 6 p.m.
Dec. 31 vs. Los Angeles Clippers, 2 p.m.
Jan. 2 vs. Memphis, 7 p.m.
This story was originally published December 22, 2019 at 2:50 AM.
