Buddy Hield spoke about how much he loves playing for his new team, the Golden State Warriors, while his former team, the Philadelphia 76ers, caught a stray.
After head coach Steve Kerr’s lineup change before Sunday’s matchup, Hield made seven threes en route to 27 points in a 114-106 win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Starting alongside Stephen Curry (30 points), he flourished offensively and reflected on his trying campaign in 2023-24.
Hield, the former 76ers guard, revealed basketball wasn’t fun for him last season, per NBATV.
“Last year, I didn’t have that love [for basketball],” Hield said. “We wanted to find a team that I can feel appreciated and loved… They are so unselfish.”
Before the season started, Buddy says Warriors’ Curry and Kerr reached out before he ultimately agreed to a two-year, $21 million deal in the 76ers' sign-and-trade. The list of teammates has grown during the regular season, making the move a seamless fit over the past two months.
“Steph [Curry] and Steve [Kerr] reaching out to me during free agency, communicating [on] just being here, you know — Steve and Steph, and Draymond, and everybody,” Hield said. “GP [Gary Payton II], everybody, putting his arm around me, trying to help me get to my old self.
“This team is just so unselfish. They make the right play. They play the way I want to play, and on and off the court, it’s a great group to be around.
“I haven’t won yet in this league yet. So being around these guys, you want to learn how to win. You want to see how they do things,” Hield concluded.
In only the first quarter of the 2024-25, Hield says he’s learning a lot from his new teammates.
“Just being here, I’m just being a sponge and keeping my eyes open,” Hield added. “Everything they do, I’m like yes, sir, because these men, they won four championships. So I’m just learning their championship ways and their championship habits.”
"Last year I didn't have that love [for basketball]... We wanted to find a team that I can feel appreciated and loved... They are so unselfish."
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 9, 2024
Buddy Hield on his 27-point game, plus the Warriors' win over the Timberwolves last night 🙌
(via @NBATV)pic.twitter.com/2TJC5ChtSQ
Steve Kerr reveals secret behind Warriors’ lineup change
In a game where Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green did his best Stephen Curry impression, it was an exciting win for head coach Steve Kerr, Buddy Hield, and the Warriors. However, Andrew Wiggins was ruled out with a right ankle injury, which prompted Kerr to change his starting lineup.
The four-time champion head coach addressed his decision during his postgame press conference.
“Without Wiggins, we wanted to start Gary on [Anthony Edwards] and just have our best defender on him right away,” Kerr said. “Gary’s also historically good with Steph, and then we just felt like we had to get Buddy going. The best way to do it is to put him out there with that group. If Buddy is out there with Steph, that makes the game easier for him.”
Suffice it to say Kerr’s plan worked.
