Today Is the Biggest Day in Sooner Star Buddy Hield’s Life
By Chip Rouse
Buddy Hield has had some big days in his young life, but none bigger than today when he becomes a top-ten pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
The Oklahoma All-American and recipient of both the Naismith Trophy and the Wooden Award as college basketball’s best player in the 2015-16 season has always dreamed of playing basketball in the United States and eventually professionally in the NBA.
Sometime within the first hour of this year’s NBA Draft, being held from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Hield’s name likely will be called and his life will change for the better and never be the same thereafter. His lifelong ambition of playing professional basketball is about to become a reality. The only thing we don’t know at this point is which NBA team will win his services.
The former Oklahoma star is going to help any team that selects him. He is arguably the best shooter in the draft (45 percent accuracy from the field this past season) and his three-point shooting is good enough to play in the NBA right now.
Hield definitely helped his cause by not coming out early as a junior and electing to stay in school for his senior season. He would have been a sure draft pick a year ago, but most likely in the second round. By remaining in school and improving his game – and drawing tons of attention fueled by Oklahoma’s national ranking and deep NCAA Tournament run – Hield’s NBA stock rose from being a potential early-to-mid second-round selection a year ago to a top-10 lottery pick this year.
Whoever lands the two-time Big 12 Player of the Year is going to get a player with exceptional offensive skills who is also sound defensively, but beyond that he is a special talent with a terrific work ethic and a mental maturity greater than his years, all qualities which should lead to a successful NBA career.
There has been quite a bit of chatter on social media and by conventional media sources about the probability of Hield going to the Sacramento Kings with the eighth overall pick in the draft. While that is certainly a possibility, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Boston Celtics grab the man they call “Buddy Buckets” with the No. 3 pick on Thursday night.
Here is my reasoning for thinking the Sooner All-American could be wearing Celtic green next season: Hield is the best three-point shooter in the draft, at least based on his performance this past season. Boston was the second-worst three-point shooting team in the NBA this season (29th out of 30 teams). The Celtics could immediately use Hield’s three-point production, plus Boston has seven overall picks in this year’s draft (three in the first round and four more in the second).
Buddy’s NBA dream is about to come true, and whoever selects the 6-foot, 5-inch man from the Bahamas is going to get some of their prayers answered, as well.
The Sooner nation will be watching with great interest, not just to see where Hield goes but also hoping for a good outcome for his teammate, Isaiah Cousins, who is hoping he is one of the 60 player selections that make up the 2016 NBA Draft.
In just a few hours, we’ll have our answer.