NEW YORK — Philadelphia 76ers guard Buddy Hield had a rough go at it recently heading into a Sunday evening contest with the New York Knicks. Coach Nick Nurse made the decision to have him come off the bench to try and get him going.
It ended up working out. Hield had 16 points and knocked down four triples in a 79-73 win over the Knicks on Sunday. He shot 6-for-9 overall and 4-for-6 from deep as he was able to find his rhythm again out on the floor.
Hield, who had been starting for the Sixers since being acquired, was happy to just get back on track a bit for Philadelphia. It doesn’t matter the role.
“Right before tip,” Hield said of when he found out he would be coming off the bench. “Nick told me and it’s not starting all the time. Once I go there and get quality minutes and help this team win, that’s all that matters. I come in and played my role and I know what I’m here to do and I did it tonight and it was fun.”
The Sixers are looking to just find a role for everybody. In order for Philadelphia to really get back on track, it will need guys like Hield to step in and produce. He was able to do so on Sunday.
“I just felt like he needed a different look tonight, right?” explained Nurse. “Just something to get him going. Game plans have been pretty focused on him. Sometimes when you can hide guys on the bench a little bit, you can sneak them in there and get them going. So it’s good. We do that with Kelly (Oubre Jr.) sometimes too, right? Just again just a change of scenery.”
The best part of the night for Hield was jut getting him back in a rhythm. He has been out of sorts recently and Nurse and the Sixers found a way to get him back moving in the right direction.
“Nick did a great job of putting me in good spots tonight,” Hield added. “So it’s not about starting or coming off the bench. I think everybody has done that since I came here so whatever he wants, we go with and we trust whatever decision he makes.”
The Sixers will face the Knicks again on Tuesday.
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