‘That speaks volumes about me’: Buddy Hield on track for rare 84-game season

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‘That speaks volumes about me’: Buddy Hield on track for rare 84-game season originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

As soon as Buddy Hield got traded to the Sixers, there was zero question he’d suit up for the team’s next game.

Settled in or not, Hield was going to play. He always plays.

This season, that constant availability has Hield positioned for a rare feat with two Sixers games left on the schedule.

If Hield appears in one, he’d become the 43rd player in NBA history to log at least 83 games in a season. Mikal Bridges reached that mark by being on the floor for a grand total of four seconds in last season’s finale vs. the Sixers.

If Hield appears in two, he’d become the first NBA player to notch an 84-game campaign since the 2004-05 season. Casey Jacobsen was the last player with two more games than the standard 82.

Hield smiled as he heard that the Sixers’ win Tuesday night over the Pistons was his 82nd outing this season.

“I take pride in that,” he said. “They call it the Iron Man in the league. What do I have, two more? So hopefully 83, 84. I’m blessed, man, to be able to play 82 games. Just got to keep taking care of my body and hopefully I can do it again next year. That’s always been the goal. Even after I got traded, I was mad I missed a game.

“I know how important it is to me, just setting a tone for the younger guys around the league. I just love to play. That speaks volumes about me — just loving to play each and every day.”

It’d be awfully harsh to say the Sixers’ deadline-day trade for Hield caused him to “miss a game,” but it’s true the Pacers played that Thursday night and he wasn’t a part of it.

Hield watched film of his new team on the plane to Philadelphia. He took his physical, went straight to the arena, shot jumpers in an empty arena several hours before tip-on, and played 40 minutes that Friday for the Sixers.

“I just love the game,” Hield said after debuting. “I’m very passionate about it, whether the result is good or bad in the game. I always stick to my routine that I’ve done since college. And I feel like that brings me so much…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/speaks-volumes-buddy-hield-track-121745661.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-04-10 12:17:45

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