Hield explains why Steph’s 3-balls feel like ‘nine-point plays’ originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Buddy Hield is enjoying his new status as Warriors teammates with Steph Curry.
Even as a 3-point connoisseur himself, Hield remains in awe of the things Curry can do on the court — including the four-time NBA champion’s ability to keep the crowd in the palm of his hand.
“He’s the guy,” Hield told “The Jim Rome Show” on Tuesday. “… Being on his team, every time he shoots, it feels like it’s a 360 dunk because the whole gym just erupts. That’s what they come to see him do. And when we go on runs, his 3-pointers feel like nine-point plays because it’s that [effective] on the whole crowd.”
Curry certainly knows how to light up an arena and swing momentum the Warriors’ way. And since Golden State acquired Hield this offseason in a sign-and-trade deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, the newest Warriors wing has reminded fans he’s also one of the best sharpshooters in the game.
Through seven contests during the 2024-25 NBA season so far, Hield is averaging 21.9 points per game off the Warriors’ bench on 51.4-percent shooting and 50.0 percent from behind the 3-point line. When Curry missed three games last week with an ankle injury, Hield helped Golden State set a franchise record with 103 3-pointers made through the team’s first six games.
During that span, Hield became the first player in NBA history to make at least 27 3-pointers in their first six games with a team, and now is averaging a team-leading 4.7 triples per contest.
But even Hield knows there’s only one 3-point king, telling Rome that he often finds himself wanting to stop in the middle of practice just to watch Curry do his thing.
“It’s fun,” Hield told Rome of playing alongside Curry. “I always say now I have someone who can shoot better than me, and he can do it all — all different levels, from the three, the middy and to the rim. And just watching him work out, the way he goes about his day to day, and the way he attacks his workout like it’s nothing, it’s so unreal. …
“He works so hard, and you see why he’s one of the greatest shooters to ever play the game.”
The Splash Bros are no more in Golden State. But with Hield and Curry, maybe something else special is brewing.
