NBA News NBA News, Match Reports and Updates
Stotts’ influence on display in Warriors’ preseason win vs. Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – On multiple occasions since joining the Warriors as part of a historic six-team trade over the offseason, Buddy Hield has said he probably wouldn’t have been drafted so high if it weren’t for his new teammate Steph Curry. As Curry was winning his second straight NBA MVP, Hield was putting on a 3-point clinic of his own during his senior season at Oklahoma.
His flare for the long ball led to him winning every major college award imaginable before being taken No. 6 overall by the Sacramento Kings in the 2016 draft. A handful of seasons have passed since Hield last wore a Kings jersey, but he certainly reminded his former team of what it’s like when he gets hot from deep, scoring a game-high 22 points off the bench in the Warriors’ 122-112 preseason win Wednesday night at Golden 1 Center while going 6 of 7 from 3-point range.
Steve Kerr’s offense always has been heavily influenced by 3-pointers. The Splash Brothers of Curry and Klay Thompson already were in Golden State before Kerr arrived in 2014, though his offensive mind took them both to another level. Newcomers seem to thrive beyond the arc in Kerr’s system, too.
So, it was easy to envision Hield making a seamless splash of his own in a Warriors jersey under Kerr. But it’s a new addition to the Warriors’ coaching staff that is paying off in major ways already as well. Kerr brought in former Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts to help his offense, and players like Hield should thrive.
“The stuff that we’re putting in with Terry, the Portland stuff, you saw some of that in the second half,” Kerr said after the win. “The flares, Buddy is built for that.”
Stotts spent nine seasons as the Blazers’ head coach from 2012 through 2021, winning 402 regular-season games and reaching the playoffs in all but his first season. An undersized, yet sharp-shooting backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum excelled in Portland under Stotts, unlocking their 3-point prowess and even reaching the Western Conference Finals…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/stotts-influence-display-warriors-preseason-145030827.html
Author : NBC Sports BayArea
Publish date : 2024-10-10 14:50:30
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
