College Career12-13 (FR): 27 G / 7.8 PPG / 38.8 FG / 19 3FGM / 23.8 3FG% / 83.3 FT% / 4.2 RPG / 1.9 AST / 1.2 STL13-14 (SO): 33 G / 16.5 PPG / 44.5 FG / 90 3FGM / 38.6 3FG% / 75.0 FT% / 4.4 RPG / 1.9 AST / 1.4 STL14-15 (JR): 35 G / 17.4 PPG / 41.2 FG / 93 3FGM / 35.9 3FG% / 82.3 FT% / 5.4 RPG / 1.9 AST / 1.3 STL15-16 (SR): 37 G / 25.0 PPG / 50.1 FG / 147 3FGM / 45.7 3FG% / 88.0 FT% / 5.7 RPG / 2.0 AST / 1.1 STLBuddy Hield’s four-year career at Oklahoma travelled a path similar to that of his many three-point shots before they started to descend towards the net. With each passing season, the numbers that the high-volume scoring guard put up continued to rise, until, realistically, they couldn’t get much higher. Now, after Hield cemented his status as one of the top college players in the country last year, his name figures to be one of the first called on draft night.Revisiting Hield’s rookie numbers makes his final body of work look that much more impressive. As a freshman during the Sooners’ 2012-2013 campaign, Hield surfaced sporadically in the starting line-up, and had a handful of double-figure scoring games. From outside the arc, which became a specialty, he went a meager 19 for 80 (23.8 3fg%). In many respects, Hield’s first season was respectable, but his final stats didn’t necessarily foreshadow the explosive force he would become.The outset of Hield’s sophomore season, however, offered a different story. Given a greater role in Lon Kruger’s rotation, the Freeport, Bahamas native quickly showed within his first few games that he could fill up the cup. He finished the year ranked 10th in the Big 12 in scoring, third in three-pointers, and was recognized as a member of the All-Big 12 Second-Team.In his third year, Hield left little doubt. The previous season was no fluke. Receiving equivalent playing time, Hield steadily increased his output, especially on the glass with his rebounding. Although there was a slight dip in his perimeter efficiency, Hield remained a major threat from three-point territory, leading the Big 12 in triples. By season’s end, he had become the first Big 12 Player of the Year to pace the conference in scoring, and also receive Big 12 All-Academic honors. During his swan song in Norman, Hield was dominant. He cranked out 11 games with at least 30-points, including a memorable 46-point outburst in Oklahoma’s triple-overtime loss to top-ranked Kansas in January. Hield delivered 13 showings in which he poured in a minimum of five three-pointers. He shot no worse than 42.0 percent in all but 10 of his 37 appearances. All in all, Hield placed second in the nation in scoring, and first in three-point field goals. He was decorated with prestigious hardware upon the conclusion of his career, taking home the John Wooden Award, plus the Naismith College Player of the Year, Oscar Robertson Trophy, and Sporting News Player of the Year awards. Perhaps the most significant outcome to emerge from Hield’s senior season was that his decision to resist entering the NBA Draft in 2015 paid off. His stock is now much higher. Projected to go late in the first round last year, Hield will likely land somewhere within the top 10 on June 23rd.Born in 1993, Hield didn’t move to the United States until 2010. He’s acquired international experience with the Bahamian national team.
Skillset SnapshotElite from DeepHield graded out as one of the premier offensive players in the country last season, generating 1.139 points per possession, and scoring nearly 48.0 percent of the time he was on the court. Without question, at the college level, three-point shooting was a considerable and critical component of Hield’s offensive game. His 147 treys led the nation, and stood as the third-highest total in the NCAA in the last 22 years. Further underscoring Hield’s perimeter prowess was the staggering difference between his standard field goal percentage, which was 49.9, and his adjusted field goal percentage of 62.1. The latter of the two percentages assigns additional weight to three-point shooting. Zeroing on one specific aspect of Hield’s three-point skill set, he was a major catch-and-shoot threat, perhaps the biggest one out there in the NCAA last year. Hield produced 1.46 points per possession and knocked down 48.9 percent of his attempts in such scenarios, the bulk of which were contested. In the gif below, clipped from that epic, back-and-forth triple overtime battle at Kansas on January 4th, Hield receives a pass and fires away over Frank Mason III (#0) in a clutch spot. At the time, the Sooners were ranked second in the country, while the Jayhawks were number one. Hield drained a career-high 46 points. Impactful on the InteriorAs dangerous as Hield was from the outside, make no mistake, he was productive on the interior as well. More than 46.0 percent of his field goal tries were two-pointers, and he shot 55.2 percent on those attempts. Looking at this next play, which comes from Oklahoma’s narrow 85-81 NCAA Tournament victory over Virginia Commonwealth, Hield showcases his smooth mid-range potential, and then some, all at the expense of JeQuan Lewis (#1). A nasty cross-over move helps Hield gain separation from Lewis, a veteran on a quality defensive club. Toeing the LineHield also put his shooting touch to use at the foul line, where he hit a Big 12-best 88.0 percent of his attempts. It wasn’t just Hield’s accuracy from the stripe that was impressive, but the frequency with which he which he managed to generate fouls on the opposition. As a senior, Hield sunk 176 freebies, the highest total in the Big 12. His 200 attempts ranked second in the conference. In the clip below from Oklahoma’s NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 win over Texas A&M, Hield, as he did at times throughout the season, uses his strength to power inside and draw a whistle.Hield created contact in transition, too. Here, against Kansas State on January 9th, Hield single-handedly leads the Sooners’ break, using deft ball-handling and body control to weave into the lane and score. The basket further fueled Oklahoma’s strong start in an eventual 86-76 triumph. Hield had 31 points that night.ReboundingDespite being a 6’4″ tall shooting guard, Hield was no stranger to grabbing his fare share of boards. His senior year, he averaged a career-high 5.7 rebounds per game, and ranked 10th in the Big 12 in total caroms.
This next and final video clip highlights Hield’s defensive abilities. In the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Hield, positioned along the right sideline, provides an aggressive face guard on Korey Billbury (#24), VCU’s third-leading scorer. Uneffected by Billbury’s jab steps, Hield keeps his body on Billbury as the Rams’ junior drives the right baseline. With teammate Khadeem Lattin (#12) providing assistance, Hield helps alter Billbury’s shot, and corrals the rebound.Outside ObservationKansas senior forward Perry Ellis on the Allen Fieldhouse crowd giving Buddy Hield a standing ovation after Hield’s 46-point effort in Oklahoma’s 109-106 triple-overtime loss at Kansas on January 4th:””I’ve never seen that before. Buddy deserved that. He played a great game. Words can’t describe how well he played.”Mock Draft Projections (latest projections as of 6/16)NBA.com: #7 (Nuggets)DraftExpress.com: #6 (Pelicans)NBADraft.net: #3 (Celtics)ESPN.com: #8 (Kings)
