CAMDEN, N.J. — The Philadelphia 76ers acquired Buddy Hield at the Feb. 8 trade deadline as they needed to bring in somebody who can provide floor spacing next to Tyrese Maxey and make the offense flow a bit better.
He also has been doing a lot of creating at the moment putting the ball on the floor and making plays for others. That has been something of a new wrinkle in his game as he did not show that type of ability in the past.
However, when Joel Embiid does eventually return to the floor at the end of March, Hield will have to adjust his role again. Everything the Sixers do revolves around Embiid and one might assume that he and Hield will develop a two-man game similar to the one Embiid has had with JJ Redick and Seth Curry in the past.
However, coach Nick Nurse doesn’t see it that way.
“I’m not so much sure it’s a two-man game with those two more than it’s just a putting him in the right spot so the double teams are less effective, right?” Nurse explained. “That we can make them pay one way or another, right? Like, Buddy’s a catch-and-shoot 3 guy, which we need.”
In eight games with the Sixers, Hield is shooting 42.3% from deep on 8.9 attempts per game. That 3-point percentage with that volume is going to be very important next to Embiid whenever the big fella does return. That is going to be his role next to the reigning league MVP.
“I mean, we’re envisioning where that’s going to be and how that’s gonna look on some of the things we’re doing and we’re trying to get Buddy—get him in those places right now in his skill development stuff to get him just super sharp on what we envision is going to happen,” Nurse finished. “I think it’s more of a spacing thing than it is a two-man game thing.”
One has to assume that a two-man game between Embiid and Hield will blossom naturally the way it did with Redick and Curry in the past. It may not happen right away, but Embiid’s unselfishness and gravity would make it work wonderfully with Hield’s 3-point shooting.
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