Sometimes, teammates can disagree. In those situations, they have to talk things out, if not argue. But rarely do we see it happen during NBA games. That is exactly what happened during the Warriors‘ 116-115 win over the Timberwolves. Gary Payton II and Buddy Hield were annoyed with each other over something in the third quarter and needed Dennis Schroder to intervene to shut things down.
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The cameras and the courtside mics could not pick up exactly what the two were arguing about, but from what Warriors fans are saying online, it appears Buddy Hield was in the wrong. We may have to wait and find out what the issue between the two players was.
The Warriors’ victory over the Timberwolves will soften the sour feelings from the argument. While Buddy Hield did have a tense situation with Payton II, he didn’t let it stop him from playing at a high level, putting up 18 points (6-11 FG), one rebound, three steals, and two blocks.
As for Payton II, he also made a decent impact from the bench, putting up seven points (3-3 FG), six rebounds, and one assist. The Warriors desperately needed their bench players, like Hield and Payton II, to step up and play at a high level, after losing their last two games and not getting enough from their bench players.
Perhaps this win can rally the Golden State Warriors back into form. What was once an incredible start to the season has turned into an abysmal and mediocre campaign so far. And the Warriors will want to get back to the form they exhibited in the first part of the season as soon as possible, as the competitive race in the Western Conference heats up.
Hield’s Inconsistency Has Proven To Be A Problem
Buddy Hield got off to a flying start to life as a Warrior. After signing with the franchise to be the replacement for the departing Klay Thompson, Hield proved himself to be more than worthy of the role. But as the season has gone on, Hield has become quite inconsistent. His stats per month show that he has never escaped the ‘full cycle’ allegations.
While his 18-point outing tonight was a strong showing, the Bahamian player has struggled to maintain his form for a regular stretch of games. In fact, he has scored under 10 points in 17 of his 40 games this season. On top of that, he has only scored 20+ points in seven games this year.
For the season, Hield is averaging 12.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.3 blocks per game, while shooting 41.9% from the field, 37.8% from the three-point line, and 90.9% from the free-throw line. These numbers are not the level of production the Warriors hoped for when they signed him in free agency.
Hield has been one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA over the last few years, which made him a natural fit for the Warriors. But even compared to the 38.6% he shot from deep last season and the 42.5% he shot before that, Hield has taken a step down in his abilities as a shooter.
Steve Kerr said after the Warriors’ previous game that he still believes in Hield and that he can turn things around very soon. Perhaps Hield can use tonight’s game, where he went 3-6 from deep, as a launching point to recover his three-point percentage and his overall form heading into the second half of the season.
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