Move to the bench might have lit a fire under the Kings’ emotional shooting guard

It’s safe to say Buddy Hield’s season hasn’t gone to plan. It started in the offseason with negotiations over Hield’s extension. Following an October 17 preseason game, Hield told the assembled media he was insulted by the Kings’ contract extension offer, and went so far as to suggest he’d demand a trade if he couldn’t get a deal done.

“If it don’t get done, me and my team will look for something else — probably another home,” Hield said. “Until then, we’ll see if they really want me here. That’s the goal, to be here. I love Sacramento, but if they don’t want me here, if they don’t feel like I’m part of the core … I want to be here. If they don’t want me here, find somewhere else to be.”

Hield would, of course, reach an extension agreement with the Kings. The deal reportedly included a base guarantee of $86 million over four years, with incentives that could push the deal to as high as $106 million. But even with the extension signed, Buddy’s season still didn’t go to plan.

Buddy shot 36.8% from 3-point range in November and 34% in December, both far below last season’s mark of 42.7%. Through the first 10 games of January Buddy shot 36.7% from deep. Suddenly, the skill that made Hield so valuable to the Kings was unreliable. Perhaps Buddy was trying to prove himself to anyone who doubted him during contract negotiations, perhaps he was struggling to adjust to coach Luke Walton’s system, or maybe it was just the added attention from defenses keying in on Hield while De’Aaron Fox, Marvin Bagley and others were out with injuries. Whatever the reason, Buddy’s shot was not long the weapon it had been.

With Buddy slumping and the Kings struggling, Walton decided to shake up the lineups and sent Hield to the bench. Hield had started all 82 games for the Kings last season, but it’s easy to forget that former Kings coach Dave Joerger originally envisioned Hield as a sixth man. Hield got the starting nod by way of a Bogdan Bogdanovic injury and simply played well enough last season to keep the job.

But those same emotions that spilled over with the media in the summer became fuel. In his first game off the bench, Hield exploded for 21 points and was a magnificent 55.6% from beyond the arc.

Then Buddy experienced another unexpected turn of events. Kobe Bryant, who Buddy Hield grew up idolizing and who Buddy wears number 24 to honor, died in a tragic helicopter crash on Sunday. Again fueled by emotion, Buddy scored 42 points and led the Kings to a miraculous overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite a lackluster game against the Thunder, Buddy is shooting 51.5% from behind the arc in his three games since moving to the bench. It’s obviously a small sample, but Buddy has suddenly looked like the Buddy of last season.

Coaches preach that it doesn’t matter who starts; minutes and who finishes games is what really matter, but players often view it as a slight. Kings fans can only hope that however Buddy Hield views his move to the bench, he can use it as motivation and channel his emotions into his game in a positive manner.

Despite the moves to the bench and the drop in shooting efficiency, Buddy’s per game scoring and rebounding numbers are nearly identical to last season. His turnovers are up, but so are his assists, both a side effect of being tasked with more ball handling duties during Fox’s absence. With 35 games left in the season, there’s still plenty of time for Hield to get his season back to plan.

The season didn’t start the way Buddy expected, but his story is far from over.