BOSSIER CITY – Alvin Gentry has recently urged fans and media to have patience with shooting guard Buddy Hield, because as an NBA rookie, the 22-year-old surely will have some rough nights and a few peaks and valleys, as he navigates his first pro season. During his initial taste of the league Saturday, however, Hield's experience looked a lot like his banner 2015-16 college campaign with the Oklahoma Sooners.
Hield came off the bench in Saturday's 116-102 preseason win over Dallas, quickly sparking a Pelicans second-quarter surge by dropping in a layup, three-pointer and deep stepback two-point jumper. By night's end, the native of the Bahamas had accumulated 19 points in only 25 minutes. He did it efficiently, going 8/12 from the field, including 3/6 from three-point range. In addition, he grabbed six rebounds and dished out three assists, highlighted by an alley oop to Anthony Davis for a resounding slam.
Already a popular player due to his lethal perimeter accuracy, catchy series of nicknames and effervescent personality, the No. 6 overall draft pick was greeted on his way to the CenturyLink Center locker room by several dozen autograph-seekers after Saturday's game. He stopped to meet fans, as some of his teammates already began praising Hield's NBA debut.
“He calls himself 'Buddy Buckets' and that's what he did tonight – he got a lot of buckets,” said Davis (13 points in 12 minutes). “He made a lot of shots and looked good on the defensive end. I'm definitely excited to play with him. He did a good job tonight.”
“I thought he had his moments,” Gentry said of Hield's performance. “Obviously he shot the ball well and made some plays. He's a rookie. He's going to have games like this, and he'll struggle in some games. The thing I like best about it is he always gives maximum effort. As long as he gives maximum effort, I think there will be a chance for him to have success.”
All of Hield's 19 points came in the final three quarters, with him sinking one trey in each of those periods. Unlike in summer league – when he often faced double-teams and was targeted by defenses – Hield had more room to operate Saturday and was the recipient of several pinpoint passes that led to open looks. Hield played many of his minutes with distributing point guard Tim Frazier (10 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists), a pairing that's worked well in its initial stints. But Hield also showed the ability to create off the dribble, including getting into the lane to drop off passes that led to point-blank hoops for teammates. He executed a nifty crossover that shook a defender and resulted in his own up-and-under layup, along with a couple hard-dribble moves that cleared space to fire and knock down long-range attempts.
“Don't rush it. Let it come to you,” Hield said of adjusting to the tempo he needs to play with in the NBA, something he battled during summer league. “Coach always says the ball will find you if you get in the right spots. You'll get an open shot, as opposed to a contested shot.”
One blemish on Hield's stat line was his four turnovers, something that irked him after the game. The Pelicans have three-plus weeks until the regular season opener Oct. 26 vs. Denver, a period Hield will use to learn from his mistakes and try to improve.
“I did OK,” Hield assessed of his preseason debut. “The turnovers I had in the second half, I need to cut down on that. There are things I need to work on defensively. But I'll watch film and get better from it.”
