THE Golden State Warriors The Warriors failed to add a true star to their roster this offseason. Coupled with the departure of franchise icon Klay Thompson, it appears the Dubs will be relying more than ever on Steph Curry and Draymond Green this upcoming season. However, while the Warriors didn’t add an All-Star to their resume, at least one ESPN NBA expert believes one of their offseason acquisitions is in prime position to earn his first career draft pick.
ESPN published a series of predictions The experts asked players who they thought was most likely to receive their first All-Star nomination. While Victor Wembanyama was the overwhelming favorite, receiving 90 percent of the first-place votes, a Warriors player finished seventh in the voting. It wasn’t Jonathan Kuminga or Brandin Podziemski, it was veteran Buddy Hield. The final vote tally hasn’t been released, but according to their scoring system, Hield received either one second-place vote or three third-place votes.
Hield is the easiest replacement for Thompson in head coach Steve Kerr’s system. With floor spacing likely limited by rotation members Draymond Green, Kevon Looney, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and perhaps wings like Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, and Gary Payton II (depending on their different streaks), Hield is easily the Dubs’ second-best outside scoring threat behind Curry. Given how Andrew Wiggins found his way to All-Star weekend after joining Golden State, it seems like someone thinks Hield could follow a similar path.
At the height of his productivity thus far in his career, Hield averaged 20.7 points and 5.0 rebounds per game on 42.7 percent three-point shooting during the 2018-19 season with the Sacramento Kings. It’s easy to see how someone might convince themselves that playing alongside a movement-oriented offense built around the greatest shooter of all time, but without a second scorer, could be the perfect situation for Hield to make a splash, put up even better numbers, and reach the All-Star Game.
The biggest obstacle to Hield’s All-Star hopes may not be his productivity, but rather his role in the rotation. Hield may be the player who most resembles Thompson, but fellow offseason acquisition De’Anthony Melton is a solid shooter with a much more polished game. A standout defender, Melton could very well end up forming the starting guard with Curry.
Even if Hield gets ahead of Melton, there’s no guarantee they’ll get a starting role without an injury since Brandin Podziemski is coming off a great rookie season where he competed with Thompson for a starting role. Add to that a crowded forward depth chart with Green, Wiggins, Kuminga, Payton and Kyle Anderson and imagining a scenario where Hield gets enough regular playing time to put up the numbers required to reach the All-Star game seems even more difficult.
