Hield welcomes the “rollercoaster ride” of his NBA career that led him to the Warriors

Hield hails the ‘roller coaster’ of his NBA career that led him to the Warriors originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Buddy Hield still remembers the strange advice he once received from an NBA general manager who advised him to see himself as someone who can always move around the league.

There are two sides to this thinking. The game director said that playing for multiple teams means you are wanted. But it also means your current team is comfortable letting you go. Everyone wants to feel wanted in one way or another.

Hield, who is in his ninth season overall and first with the Warriors, has seen both sides of the coin throughout his NBA career.

“Just know this whole NBA thing is a rollercoaster,” Hield told NBC Sports Bay Area on the latest episode of Dubs Talk. “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. That’s how I see it.”

The New Orleans Pelicans made Hield feel like the Big Easy’s newest star player when they selected him with the sixth pick in the 2016 draft. These feelings didn’t last long. Just eight months after being the Pelicans’ first-round pick and four months after his NBA debut, Hield was on the move.

As part of a five-player trade, Hield was the Pelicans’ biggest selling point when they acquired DeMarcus Cousins ​​from the Sacramento Kings in February 2017. Hield’s six seasons in Sacramento were the longest stint on his card in the NBA landscape. As he’s learned over the months of his career, consistency is much more ideal than reality.

In his first full month with the Kings, Hield was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month and eventually made the All-Rookie First Team. During his time with the Kings, he averaged 20 points per game for the only time as a professional and ranked second in 3-point shots for four straight seasons, but was traded to another team, the Indiana Pacers, during that streak. sent.

Three multi-year contracts and four different trading periods. Hield has learned to do his best, putting personal feelings aside.

“The process I had where I had a long-term contract and got subbed out a few times, sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s the business of basketball,” he said. “You just have to deal with it.

“Yes, sometimes it hurts, but you can’t think about it. I’m just glad I still have a job. I always see it that way. There are so many people who want to be in the league. There are only 450 of us from all over the world. “First of all, it’s difficult to stay in this league and it’s difficult to get back into the league. I’m part of this league and I can still play for a team that needs me.”

Hield feels no animosity when he looks at the past. Pride triumphs over all anger. It’s rare that Hield’s smile doesn’t shine as brightly as the Bahamian sun.

As Hield pulls back the curtains on draft night more than eight years ago, he knows exactly what he would say to his younger, wide-eyed self, full of hopes and dreams, who now has the wisdom of someone who has been in the NBA for nearly a decade has spent.

“A way to stay on track,” says Hield. “An opportunity to approach work in a disciplined manner. Hard work got me here and hard work will get me further as I progress through this league. It’s all about the journey, man. The trip is just so much fun.”

The journey can always involve further changes. Another change, another new coach, another group of new teammates.

“I can be traded again,” Hield admits. “But what do I do if this happens again? Do I stop working or do I just keep competing with this thing called the basketball life? That’s what I like so much about it.” It brings a new challenge every day.

“Like I said, another man’s trash is another man’s treasure, but the challenge it brings is just so much fun. That’s what the NBA brings.

Embracing the unknown has become one of Hield’s greatest strengths, much like his 3-point shot. The ups and downs, his wealth of experiences, will hardly ever make Hield frown.

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