Realistic Expectations for New Orleans Pelicans Rookie Buddy Hield in 2016-17

Four years of college hoops transformed Buddy Hield into “Buddy Buckets” and skyrocketed his draft stock.

He would have been a fringe first-rounder had he left Oklahoma a year earlier, but delaying his decision allowed him to strike when the iron was hottest. With both the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy on his resume, Hield lasted just six selections into the 2016 talent grab, where the New Orleans Pelicans gladly snatched him up.

“We targeted Buddy. He’s the guy we wanted here,” Pelicans general manager Dell Demps said, per ESPN.com’s Justin Verrier. “We wanted Buddy in a Pelican uniform. He’s one of the guys when we came into the draft we were hoping to walk out with.”

On paper, Hield packs NBA-ready perimeter punch, badly needed to spark the Pelicans’ offense and provide some relief for franchise face Anthony Davis. During Hield’s final collegiate campaign, he unleashed a historically significant combination of volume and efficiency, becoming the first player (since at least 1993-94) to average 25 points per game and post a 65-plus true shooting percentage.

His shooting range is real and ridiculous, but his five-game run at the Las Vegas summer league showed there’s plenty of work remaining. His counting categories impressed—16.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists—but the quantity lacked quality. Hield had some hot shooting streaks but enough cold ones to keep his percentages at 32.7 from the field and 22.9 outside.

“I know it’s not me to be out there missing too many shots,” Hield said in Vegas, per NOLA.com’s John Reid. “But it’s the growing pains that I have to go through.”

The 22-year-old can’t skip any steps of his developmental process, but the Pelicans can accelerate it by granting him a sizable piece of their regular-season rotation.

Team Fit

As good as Hield would look in any NBA market, he’s particularly appealing to the Big Easy. His potential to make opening-night contributions fits Demps’ philosophy, and Hield’s potent perimeter game plays perfectly into head coach Alvin Gentry’s offensive plans.

Gentry honed his craft under “seven-seconds-or-less” architect Mike D’Antoni, meaning heavy priorities are placed on quick-strike scores and three-point shots. Hield checks off both boxes: His range extends well beyond the arc, and …

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