Buddy Hield 6'5 at the combine

[BoulderSooner]

great measure for buddy taller than Bradley beal and waiters ... only .25 of an inch shorter than harden

 

[tmeyer3307]

This isn't real!!

 

[pnkranger]

In shoes. More impressive is his 8'5" standing reach.

 

[BoulderSooner]

In shoes. More impressive is his 8'5" standing reach.

not really lots thought he would be under 6'4

 

[CoachTalk]

He was top 10 even if 6'4

 

[sperry]

That's great, I was worried he would come in well under list height. That should solidify his status as a top 5 pick.

 

[hoopsaustin]

That's great news for buddy

 

[SoopaSooner]

Yes great news. I kept reading people bag on him because of height. That should keep them quiet. His game should speak for itself.

 

[NickZepp]

The way the game is going toward players that shoot high volume of 3s now, he could make an immediate impact somewhere even more than the clear top 2 might. I'm also not convinced in Simmons pro potential as much

 

[Smash Williams]

Wingspan is far more important, and 6'9.25" is above average for a SG. Buddy will play SG primarily, but he'll spend plenty of minutes defending SFs as well.

 

[furge]

Am I crazy for thinking Buddy can be a top-5 player at SG in the League? It's by far the thinnest position in the sport right now, to such an extent that something like Avery Bradley shooting 30% from three can upend the rankings. Right now you can argue
1. Jimmy Butler
2. Harden
3. Klay
4. Wade (playoff performance give him the nod over...)
5.DeRozan

Or some other combination thereof. Harden is limited by his one-way approach, Wade may not hold up three more seasons, Demar has a tendency to streak and then disappear. Butler is always hurt. The next group of "best" SG, like Bradley, Khris Middleton, Beal, and McCollum are guys with similar skill sets to Buddy but took years to develop. Buddy will come to the League with extra reps under him, and has the size and work ethic to adjust defensively to NBA ball (unlike, say, Devin Booker). Talk me down from this ledge. But if not, there's plenty of room up here...

 

[Smash Williams]

Am I crazy for thinking Buddy can be a top-5 player at SG in the League? It's by far the thinnest position in the sport right now, to such an extent that something like Avery Bradley shooting 30% from three can upend the rankings. Right now you can argue
1. Jimmy Butler
2. Harden
3. Klay
4. Wade (playoff performance give him the nod over...)
5.DeRozan

Or some other combination thereof. Harden is limited by his one-way approach, Wade may not hold up three more seasons, Demar has a tendency to streak and then disappear. Butler is always hurt. The next group of "best" SG, like Bradley, Khris Middleton, Beal, and McCollum are guys with similar skill sets to Buddy but took years to develop. Buddy will come to the League with extra reps under him, and has the size and work ethic to adjust defensively to NBA ball (unlike, say, Devin Booker). Talk me down from this ledge. But if not, there's plenty of room up here...

Andrew Wiggins is younger than Buddy and averaged 20 PPG in the NBA in the season he turned 21 years old. Do you not think highly of Wiggins, or are you putting him in the SF category? That also gets to the issue of the arbitrary distinction of SG vs. SF, which probably contributes to the perceived lack of SG depth.

You have to consider the age factor when you talk about guys who took years to develop. Bradley Beal has been in the NBA for four years, but he's only six months older than Buddy Hield.

Devin Booker is about the same size as Buddy. He's also 19 years old. What's wrong with Booker's work ethic?

With that said, I don't think it's crazy to suggest that Buddy could become a top 5 SG in the league, although I think it's an uphill battle. Most of us (fans, analysts, players, coaches, etc.) tend to rate SGs on shot creation ability above all else, and that's one area where Buddy lags behind most of those guys you mentioned, at least at this point.

 

[BoulderSooner]

Andrew Wiggins is younger than Buddy and averaged 20 PPG in the NBA in the season he turned 21 years old. Do you not think highly of Wiggins, or are you putting him in the SF category? That also gets to the issue of the arbitrary distinction of SG vs. SF, which probably contributes to the perceived lack of SG depth.

You have to consider the age factor when you talk about guys who took years to develop. Bradley Beal has been in the NBA for four years, but he's only six months older than Buddy Hield.

Devin Booker is about the same size as Buddy. He's also 19 years old. What's wrong with Booker's work ethic?

With that said, I don't think it's crazy to suggest that Buddy could become a top 5 SG in the league, although I think it's an uphill battle. Most of us (fans, analysts, players, coaches, etc.) tend to rate SGs on shot creation ability above all else, and that's one area where Buddy lags behind most of those guys you mentioned, at least at this point.

wiggin is clearly the Minnesota starting 3 ..

booker is going to be a star

 

[furge]

Andrew Wiggins is younger than Buddy and averaged 20 PPG in the NBA in the season he turned 21 years old. Do you not think highly of Wiggins, or are you putting him in the SF category? That also gets to the issue of the arbitrary distinction of SG vs. SF, which probably contributes to the perceived lack of SG depth.

[...]
Devin Booker is about the same size as Buddy. He's also 19 years old. What's wrong with Booker's work ethic?

1. Wiggins appears to be Minny's 3, especially when he plays game ending stretches with both LaVine and Rubio on the floor. He's very good. That's incontrovertible.

2. I was referencing Booker's size, not work ethic. He's rail thin and gives up points in droves to stronger players. When his shot isn't falling, he's impossible to keep on the floor. Of all shooting guards who played a minimum of 100 minutes this year, he was dead last in pace - adjusted PER for that reason.

I'm not naive. Our boy isn't going to be a top-5 guy from Day 1. Making an All-Star team by his third year in the league would put him ahead of the usual developmental schedule. I just see him topping out in the upper ranks of his position based on his year to year improvement and balanced game. He may do the J.J. Redick thing and become a better shot creator if he gets constantly crowded at the three point line. But he's a far better athlete than Redick, so the potential payoff is greater.

 

[Wichita_Sooner]

2. I was referencing Booker's size, not work ethic. He's rail thin and gives up points in droves to stronger players. When his shot isn't falling, he's impossible to keep on the floor. Of all shooting guards who played a minimum of 100 minutes this year, he was dead last in pace - adjusted PER for that reason.

Devin Booker is a flat-out stud. And I don't think he's rail thin

He's listed at 210 pounds. Averaged 14 PPG on a Phoenix team that dealt with a TON of injuries.

I was practically BEGGING the Thunder to draft him last year. He's going to be a VERY good SG. The next Klay Thompson IMO

 

[Smash Williams]

wiggin is clearly the Minnesota starting 3 ..

booker is going to be a star

He was Minnesota's starting 2 for half the season, when Prince was a starter, as well most of his rookie year. He's started at SG for the majority of his career. That gets to my point about SG vs. SF being largely arbitrary distinctions. Wiggins defends both SGs and SFs regularly and capably.

 

[Smash Williams]

2. I was referencing Booker's size, not work ethic. He's rail thin and gives up points in droves to stronger players. When his shot isn't falling, he's impossible to keep on the floor. Of all shooting guards who played a minimum of 100 minutes this year, he was dead last in pace - adjusted PER for that reason.

I'm not naive. Our boy isn't going to be a top-5 guy from Day 1. Making an All-Star team by his third year in the league would put him ahead of the usual developmental schedule. I just see him topping out in the upper ranks of his position based on his year to year improvement and balanced game. He may do the J.J. Redick thing and become a better shot creator if he gets constantly crowded at the three point line. But he's a far better athlete than Redick, so the potential payoff is greater.

Booker turned 19 after his first NBA game. It's not as if his physical maturity is close to maxed out. It's reminiscent of Durant in that much was made of his frame despite the fact that they were one-and-done players who were a year younger than the rest of the players in their respective classes.

Most 19-year-olds are terrible NBA defenders. It takes most guys a while to pick up the nuances of NBA defense, where they can't live off athleticism alone.

Also, PER is largely an offensive metric. The only aspects of defense it includes are blocks and steals. Booker was no doubt a bad defender, but PER doesn't reflect that.

As far as Buddy goes, there is hope for him in developing as a shot creator, difficult as that is. Guys like Butler and Thompson really improved that aspect of their games after entering the league.

 

[pnkranger]

What people forget about Buddy is that he can guard quicker players, but he is a physical beast at 220-225 pounds. He is physically ready to contribute at a high level from day 1.

 

[BoulderSooner]

What people forget about Buddy is that he can guard quicker players, but he is a physical beast at 220-225 pounds. He is physically ready to contribute at a high level from day 1.

buddy weighs 212 pounds