PhillyVoice SPORTS – March 23, 2024

Is Buddy Hield’s Role Diminishing Amid Lengthy Slump?

After the Sixers acquired sharpshooter Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers on the day of the NBA Trade Deadline, team President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey proudly proclaimed that he believed Hield was the single best player traded that day.

The Sixers sent Indiana the expiring salaries of Marcus Morris Sr. and Furkan Korkmaz, along with three second-round draft choices, in exchange for Hield.

Early returns indicated that Morey was correct about Hield’s value. Hield was immediately inserted into the starting lineup for a Sixers team decimated by injuries, and he flourished. In Hield’s first four games as a Sixer, head coach Nick Nurse displayed a tremendous amount of confidence in the newcomer, who logged nearly 39 minutes per game. The playing time was earned: during those four games, Hield scored at least 20 points in every contest, averaging 22.3 points to go with 7.5 assists and four rebounds. Hield also knocked down 45 percent of his looks from beyond the arc while averaging a gargantuan 10 three-point attempts per game.

Five weeks later, though, the trade now appears considerably less shrewd than those early returns may have led many to believe.

Hield’s performance has drastically declined, and he has seen his role do the same: Hield was moved from the starting lineup to the bench two weeks ago. Initially, Nurse framed the move as nothing more than a change of scenery for Hield, who would still be a critical part of the team’s rotation. Nurse explained that it can do a player some good to be “hidden” as a bench piece, as it may lead to opposing teams focusing less on limiting that player.

But as Hield has gotten reacclimatized to a bench role — only 28 of his 52 appearances as a Pacer this season came in starts — he has seen his minutes totals decline tremendously. Taking a look at his playing time numbers in four-game intervals from the start of his Sixers tenure until the present day is jarring:

Hield’s role continues to diminish amid lengthy slump. Will he be able to bounce back?