Why a Hield-Klay comparison not as laughable as before

Why a Hield-Klay comparison not as laughable as before originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

“He’ll be a great scorer. He works so hard. He’ll be a tenacious defender. He’s physically gifted. He’s going to help somebody. He’s going to make a big impact.”

– Klay Thompson on NBA draft prospect Buddy Hield

Klay Thompson could not have known that when he shared this opinion with me in 2016, he would leave the Warriors eight years later and create an opening for them to replace him with a man he described as his “Bahamian brother.”

On Thursday, three days after Thompson agreed to join the Dallas Mavericks, the Warriors acquired Buddy Hield to fill much of the void left by Klay’s exit.

It’s a sign-and-trade transaction with the Philadelphia 76ers (who will receive Golden State’s second-round pick via Dallas) that completes the five-team deal initiated by Thompson’s move.

Though Hield never will replace Thompson in the hearts of Dub Nation, or NBA postseason annals, it is quite conceivable he could replicate the production that was lost with Klay bound for Texas.

Really? Really.

There was a time when a Thompson-Hield comparison would have been laughable. When all they had in common was Bahamian ancestry and elite 3-point shooting, with Klay more elite than Buddy. While Hield was toiling in relative obscurity, Thompson was a foundational member of the league’s best team, a perennial All-Star and, in 2018-19, a member of the NBA All-Defensive team. He was on a bullet train to the Hall of Fame.

But Thompson has not been able to regain that lofty status since missing 31 months after sustaining a torn left ACL and ruptured right Achilles tendon. The injuries robbed Klay of his once-stellar perimeter defense, and his shooting has fallen to the same general district as Hield.

A look at the numbers, from the 2021-22 season through 2023-24:

Field-goal percentage: Thompson 43.3 percent from the field, Hield 44.8.
Three-point percentage: Thompson 39.7 percent, Hield 39.2.

Per 36-minute scoring averages by season: Thompson 24.9, 23.8 and 21.7; Hield 18.2, 19.5, 16.9. The totals are somewhat offset by…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/why-hield-klay-comparison-not-170016571.html

Author : NBC Sports BayArea

Publish date : 2024-07-06 17:00:16

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.