Up until the NBA draft on June 23, the BSN Nuggets staff will review first-round prospects the Nuggets may target. We’ll look at their skill set, the role they will play in the league and how they could potentially fit in Denver.
Buddy Hield, G, Oklahoma
Next to positionless versatility, no skill is more coveted in the modern NBA than shooting. We’ve seen both of these attributes on clear display over the past two years, and currently in the NBA Finals, by both the defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers. And though top prospect Buddy Hield may not quite fit into the category of versatile, two-way defender, he most certainly fits the bill as one of the best shooters in the world.
Strengths
Standing 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan and weighing in at 212 pounds, Hield is a little undersized but checks off a lot of the boxes you’re looking for in a shooting guard. In addition, Hield has an elite skill in that he can shoot better than perhaps any prospect coming out of college since current two-time NBA MVP Steph Curry. Hield was a career 39 percent 3-point shooter (including 46 percent in 2015-16) at Oklahoma and his 147 threes made this past year were the most by anyone in the college game since Curry made 162 in 2008, according to DraftExpress.com.
Though Hield projects mostly as a shooter at the next level it’s also worth noting how diversified his offense has become since he first stepped on the floor for Oklahoma back in 2012. Over his first several years at Oklahoma, Hield was strictly a catch-and-shoot perimeter player who rarely put the ball on the floor in an attempt to score at the rim. But this past season, Hield diversified his scoring methodology in nearly every manner imaginable on his way to averaging 25 points per game and nabbing the Wooden Award for player of the year in the process.
Aside from his on-court strengths Hield reportedly possesses one of the best work ethics of any player in the upcoming draft. He’s consistently pushed himself to become the best player he can be and has a positive attitude and blue-collar mentality that will go a long way towards ensuring his success in the NBA regardless of his shortcomings.
Weaknesses
Though Hield eventually became the consensus best basketball player in the NCAA, it also took all four years of eligibility to arrive at this standing. Of course, some may point to this as a strength, evidence that Hield has the desire to put in the necessary effort to be successful in the NBA, but it’s also worth noting most all of Hield’s accolades have arrived in the final few years of his tenure as an upperclassman whereas many top prospects reach this level of praise as freshman.
Hield also isn’t the most tenacious defender and can be somewhat selfish on offense, both major concerns when it comes to projecting his effectiveness at the next level. While shooting is without question one of the most sought-after skills by contemporary talent evaluators, so too is defense and IQ. Again, Hield’s low assist numbers could theoretically be attributed to his role at Oklahoma as a primary scoring machine, but then again players generally are who they are by age 22. If Hield was truly a solid defender with elite IQ he would have displayed it by now.
Potential fit in Denver
The Nuggets have been in the bottom half of the league for years when it comes to long-distance shooting and Hield would certainly address this need. With two young bigs capable of threading the needle to virtually any spot on the floor the Nuggets will likely be looking to add a shooter with at least one of their three first-round selections come June 23 to better compliment their inside talent. The real question then becomes whether addressing their most pressing need is enough to take priority over selecting the best player available with each first-round selection.
Current Projection
Regardless of strategy nobody will be complaining if Hield ends up on the Nuggets’ roster on draft night. He’s slated to drop anywhere between picks three and eight in nearly every mock draft out there which puts him directly in the Nuggets’ range no matter the case. Hield will no doubt be an excellent role player and shooter in the NBA, but whether he has the innate talent to become an eventual star is the question the Nuggets will likely be asking themselves if he’s still on the board at seven.
