NEW YORK — As the Philadelphia 76ers move forward, they are going to need Buddy Hield to get back on track on the offensive end. After a hot start to his tenure with the Sixers, the sharpshooter has had a rough go at it as of late.
In nine games since the All-Star break, Hield is shooting only 35% from the floor and averaging 11.6 points per game. The 37.9% he’s shooting from deep is terrific, but the Sixers need him to be more efficient on the offensive end which means finishing opportunities at the basket.
“He’s had some good games early,” coach Nick Nurse said of Hield. “I think he’s had some games where it’s been tough for him to squeeze off good shots. He’s had some games where he’s gotten enough good shots, too that he hasn’t made. Probably a little bit of us just figuring out how to use him. A little bit of the ebbs and flows of the season.”
Over the course of an 82-game season, a player is going to struggle for some stretches. It’s just the nature of the season. Hield is a terrific shooter and everybody knows it. He will get back on track sooner rather than later.
However, when considering the very small margin for error the Sixers have at the moment missing so many key pieces, Hield has to break out of it and give Philadelphia a consistent offensive option.
“I think there’s a lot of those that he’s feeling pretty good about that he thinks that are good,” Nurse added. “They’re coming off his hand good and thinks they’re going in. They’re just not quite doing it. So hopefully it’ll ebb and flow the right way a little bit for him, too. I still like him. I’m still getting used to a lot of things he can do. I am getting used to him. I still think there’s a lot more he can give us, too.”
It will be interesting to see whether Hield can break out of this slump as the Sixers move forward with their 2023-24 season.
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