“I just know that at one point in the season I told myself I had to leave. » Buddy Hield left Indiana for Philadelphia on the day of the trade deadline, a few hours after the praise of his teammates, who wanted to see him stay with the Pacers.
How did we get here ? The shooter, at the end of his contract at the end of the season, wanted to extend but the Indiana franchise obviously had other desires.
“We asked very early on, but when the team doesn’t want to extend you, we know how it works. That's the game “, he sums it up to Yahoo Sports. “They said they wanted to sign me and then it didn’t happen. Conversations do not continue on the phone. It's like talking to a wall, with no one responding. Afterwards, we are under contract, so we must honor it. You have to come to work every day and be professional. But the atmosphere was different. »
Since he was going to be free this summer, why not end up at Indiana? This is the second reason that pushed Buddy Hield to want to leave: his playing time. If he participated in all the matches before his transfer, he was in a fog. Substitute at the start of the season, he was reinstated in the major five during November and until Christmas, before returning to the bench. In addition to his changing status, his minutes were fluctuating.
“The hardest thing to deal with was the indecision,” he confirms. “It’s like matches. We had a lot of outside players and we never knew who was going to play, what decision Rick Carlisle was going to make, who would start or not. I know that at one point, they weren't very warm towards me. There were a lot of decisions to be made about who would play or not. »
A mutual love
As his extension was no longer relevant and he was not placed in the best conditions to shine and show himself before negotiating a contract during the offseason, the new Philadelphia shooter therefore agreed to leave. No hard feelings.
“Don’t get me wrong: I loved playing with this team, it was very enjoyable. I was happy to be with these young people. But there was a decision to make and GM Chad Buchanan made the best one for him and for me.”he slips.
Compliments returned by the Pacers coach. “I love Buddy. I would have liked to keep it, the whole franchise would have liked, and we could have. That would have been selfish of the franchise and not the best thing for him. This franchise, and this is very good, treats players with respect and warns when a transfer is close to completion., underlines the Indiana coach. “I loved working with him for two years, he is a true professional. I have affection for him. He is in a situation where he starts and plays a lot. I wish him the best. »
| Buddy Hield | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2016-17 * | All Teams | 82 | 23 | 42.6 | 39.1 | 84.2 | 0.4 | 2.9 | 3.3 | 1.5 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 10.6 |
| 2016-17 * | NOP | 57 | 20 | 39.3 | 36.9 | 87.9 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 8.6 |
| 2016-17 * | BAG | 25 | 29 | 48.0 | 42.8 | 81.4 | 0.6 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 1.8 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 0.1 | 15.1 |
| 2017-18 | BAG | 80 | 25 | 44.6 | 43.1 | 87.7 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 13.5 |
| 2018-19 | BAG | 82 | 32 | 45.8 | 42.7 | 88.6 | 1.3 | 3.7 | 5.0 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 0.7 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 20.7 |
| 2019-20 | BAG | 72 | 31 | 42.9 | 39.4 | 84.6 | 0.8 | 3.8 | 4.6 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 19.2 |
| 2020-21 | BAG | 71 | 34 | 40.6 | 39.1 | 84.6 | 0.4 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 0.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 16.6 |
| 2021-22 * | All Teams | 81 | 31 | 40.6 | 36.6 | 87.4 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 15.6 |
| 2021-22 * | BAG | 55 | 29 | 38.2 | 36.8 | 87.0 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 0.3 | 14.4 |
| 2021-22 * | IND | 26 | 36 | 44.7 | 36.2 | 88.6 | 0.9 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 2.7 | 1.0 | 2.4 | 0.4 | 18.2 |
| 2022-23 | IND | 80 | 31 | 45.8 | 42.5 | 82.2 | 0.8 | 4.2 | 5.0 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 1.2 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 16.8 |
| 2023-24 * | All Teams | 64 | 27 | 44.0 | 39.2 | 85.7 | 0.6 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 12.6 |
| 2023-24 * | IND | 52 | 26 | 44.3 | 38.4 | 84.8 | 0.7 | 2.6 | 3.2 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 0.6 | 12.0 |
| 2023-24 * | PHL | 12 | 33 | 43.0 | 42.3 | 88.9 | 0.6 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 5.2 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 15.4 |
| Total | 612 | 29 | 43.4 | 40.1 | 85.8 | 0.8 | 3.5 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 2.1 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 15.7 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
