Mental Make-Up
As always with draft prospects, it can be just a little bit tricky when it comes to assessing the mentality of a young man trying to make the leap from the world of college basketball to the NBA. However, there are still a handful of things that you can assess in terms of Hield’s mentality looking at what he’s shown and how he’s progressed over his career at Oklahoma.
Blue Man Hoop
For one, you have to love the work that he’s put in since his junior season with the Sooners. Evidenced by the leap in his performance and, as a result, his climbing draft stock heading into the 2016 NBA Draft, Hield put in a tremendous amount of work to be even more dangerous physically, but to also develop his offensive game to where he’s a more well rounded threat on that end of the floor.
Moreover, the way Hield has performed in big games as a leader for Oklahoma this season shows a tremendous feel for the moment and the willingness to step up when it’s necessary. While that’s obviously more difficult to accomplish against better competition in the NBA, that mentality is more than promising.
Also in regards to his mentality, the fact that Hield has spent four years at the college level is also a good sign for him heading into the NBA. There have been countless examples in recent draft classes of how that experience has helped players translate to the NBA and handle the trials of the pro game, all of which is good news for Hield.
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