Buddy Hield made a splash in his Warriors regular-season debut Wednesday night, sinking five 3-pointers in Golden State's 139-104 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
It was a welcome sight for Steph Curry, who believes Hield can fill the team's scoring void left by Klay Thompson's departure to the Dallas Mavericks this offseason.
"Without Klay, you need shooting, but we needed shooting anyway," Curry told reporters after the game (h/t The Athletic's Anthony Slater). "Me and [Hield] have been one and two [in 3-point shooting], and Klay's right there shooting threes for the last eight years, so we know what [Hield's] skill set is, we know what he's capable of doing.
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"He's been a very seamless transition so far."
Steph Curry on Buddy Hield: “Without Klay, you needed shooting. We needed shooting anyway.” pic.twitter.com/8p7GbHrIsq
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) October 24, 2024
Hield brings what the Warriors miss most from Thompson -- 3-point shooting. Thompson was the Warriors' No. 2 scorer last season behind Curry. But in Hield, Golden State acquired a player who made 1,322 threes over the last five seasons, the most in the NBA, and his new teammate Curry is second during that span with 1,264.
That was on display Wednesday night as Hield scored 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range. Curry, meanwhile, was the Warriors' third-leading scorer against the Trail Blazers with 17 points on 4-of-10 shooting from the field and 3 of 7 from deep, behind Andrew Wiggins' 20 points and four 3-pointers.
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Finding Curry some scoring help was one of general manager Mike Dunleavy's main objectives this offseason, and while the Warriors didn't land a star like Paul George or Lauri Markkanen, Hield's skill set appears to be an adequate acquisition through one game.
Buddy drains his fourth three of the half 🤯 pic.twitter.com/3YmRWCrdLI
— Warriors on NBCS (@NBCSWarriors) October 24, 2024
Hield told reporters after the game that he hasn't felt this free playing basketball since he was playing college basketball at Oklahoma. And it's clear Curry is glad to have Hield's free-spirited play on the Warriors' side now, especially after what they lost in Thompson.
"He's of this world. He loves this game," Curry told reporters of Hield (h/t 95.7 The Game). "He's happy he's able to play a system he's comfortable in. ...
"I know he's played against us for years ... being on the other side of that is demoralizing for a team, but now he gets to add to that, so it's a cool experience for him."