Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield (24) shoots between Memphis Grizzlies forward Jontay Porter (4) and guard De’Anthony Melton (0) in the second half of an NBA basketball game Friday, May 14, 2021, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)
By RENALDO DORSETT
Tribune Sports Reporter
rdorsett@tribunemedia.net
CHAVANO “Buddy” Hield and the Sacramento Kings’ disappointing end to the 2020-21 season included an extension of the NBA’s longest playoff drought and saw Hield finish just shy of a franchise record.
Hield shot just 1-7 from three point range in the season finale and with 1,065 threes during his tenure as a King, will head into next season four shy of Peja Stojakovic’s franchise career record of 1,070.
“It doesn’t matter, it’s just a record man,” Hield said, “If I’m here it’s going to get broken anyway so I’m not really focused on that. I’m just focused on getting better with my team and moving forward.”
Hield set a new career high for made threes in a single season with 282.
In March, he also became the fastest player to make 1000 career made three-pointers in NBA history.
Hield set the mark in just 350 games to reach the milestone faster than Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors who held the previous record of 369 games. The top four also includes the Warriors’ Klay Thompson (372 games) and Damian Lillard of the Portland Trailblazers (385 games).
Hield’s early season struggles saw his streak of consecutive games with at least one made three pointer come to an end at 87 in the Kings’ 119-114 win over the Denver Nuggets on February 5. At the time, it was the longest active streak in the NBA.
In April, Hield also saw his consecutive game streak come to an end with 272 games played. He missed a game for the first time since November 20, 2017.
Hield ended the season with averages of 16.6 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. He ranked fourth in the league with 2433 minutes played.
He finished the season 39.1 percent from three point range, his worst year since his rookie season where he also shot 39.1 percent. He took 10.2 attempts this season,, the highest of his career.
The Kings finished the season 31-41 and in the final week, were eliminated from “play-in” tournament contention in the final week of the season. The franchise’s 15th consecutive season without a playoff berth tied an NBA record.
“We just have to keep getting better, keep growing, and do what these other teams are doing to get in the playoffs,” Hield said.
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