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This mind-boggling stat proves the Lakers need Buddy Hield ASAP

Jerry Trotta|
Apr 9, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Indiana Pacers shooting guard Buddy Hield (24) shoots a three point jump shot against Phildalephia 76ers shooting guard James Harden (1) during the first half at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Indiana Pacers shooting guard Buddy Hield (24) shoots a three point jump shot against Phildalephia 76ers shooting guard James Harden (1) during the first half at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers have several holes on the roster that need filling, but seemingly every fan would agree that no need is more pressing than the team’s three-point shooting woes after they finished with a lowly 34.7 percentage last season that ranked No. 22 in the entire NBA.

It didn’t help that Anthony Davis (when healthy) shot under 20% on threes, and Russell Westbrook – despite being a notoriously inefficient three-point shooter in his career – chucked up nearly 3.5 per game.

Bottom line? The Lakers are doomed in 2022-23 if they don’t surround LeBron James, who’s ironically their best three-point shooter, if they don’t add more marksman. One player who’s been regularly linked with LA is Buddy Hield, whom the front office pursued last offseason before it ultimately traded for Westbrook.

Luckily for the Lakers, however, acquiring Hield gives them a gorgeous opportunity to rectify the Westbrook mistake, especially if the 33-year-old point guard is included in a trade for salary dumping purposes.

Whatever the case, Hield is one of the best high-volume snipers in the Association, and nothing proves that more than the fact that he ranks third all-time (!) in three-pointers made per game at 3.03, per landofbasketball.com.

https://twitter.com/LakersLead/status/1549844797803835392

The Lakers need to acquire Buddy Hield as soon as possible and this mind-boggling stat proves it.

Playing in Sacramento for nearly all of his career (over six seasons) before he was offloaded to Indiana in the Domantas Sabonis trade, it’s easy to understand why Hield’s marksmanship has been overlooked for so long. The former No. 6 overall pick has twice shot north of 40% beyond the arc and twice over 39%, which speaks volumes considering he’s averaged a whopping 7.6 per game in his career.

Additionally, Hield’s 3.03 makes per game is higher than Klay Thompson (2.96), Damian Lillard (3.01), Donovan Mitchell (2.78), Luka Doncic (2.77) and James Harden (2.75; some of the biggest stars the NBA has to offer.

Of that group, only Lillard, Thompson and Harden have more career makes than Hield, and that can be attributed to the fact that they’ve all been in the league for more than 10 seasons, whereas Hield was drafted in 2017.

See what we’re saying? The fit is obvious.

LeBron has mastered the art of the drive-and-kick and Hield would feast sharing the court with the four-time Finals MVP. With James, Davis and Westbrook (if he sticks around), all preferring to function in the paint, Hield’s ability to space the floor would pay huge dividends for the entire offense, not just LeBron.

Couple that with the fact that Rob Pelinka is Hield’s former agent and Hield played with Davis in New Orleans for nearly 60 games and it makes all the sense in the world for the Lakers to aggressively pursue the 29-year-old.

That’s not to say he should be viewed as LA’s saving grace, but he’d go a long way towards fixing the team’s greatest weakness.

Make it happen, Pelinka.

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