Why the Hield-Klay Comparison Isn’t as Ridiculous as It Was originally appeared in NBC Sports Bay Area
“He will be a great scorer. He works so hard. He will be a tenacious defender. He is physically gifted. He will help someone. He’s going to make a big impact.”
– Klay Thompson on NBA draft prospect Buddy Hield
Klay Thompson could not have known that by sharing this opinion with me in 2016, he would leave the Warriors eight years later and create an opening for them to replace him with a man he described as his “brother from the Bahamas.”
On Thursday, three days later Thompson agreed to join the Dallas Mavericksthe Warriors acquired Buddy Hield to fill much of the void left by Klay’s departure.
It is a sign-and-trade transaction with the Philadelphia 76ers (who will receive Golden State’s second-round pick via Dallas) that completes the five-team deal started by Thompson’s move.
Although Hield will never replace Thompson in the hearts of Dub Nation, or the annals of the NBA postseason, it’s entirely conceivable that he could replicate the production that was lost with Klay heading to Texas.
Really? Really.
There was a time when a Thompson-Hield comparison would have been ridiculous. When all they had in common was Bahamian ancestry and elite three-point shooting, with Klay more elite than Buddy. While Hield toiled in relative obscurity, Thompson was a founding member of the league’s best team, a perennial All-Star and, in 2018-19, a member of the NBA’s All-Defensive team. He was on a bullet train to the Hall of Fame.
But Thompson has been unable to regain that elevated status since disappearing 31 months after suffering a torn left anterior cruciate ligament and a ruptured right Achilles tendon. The injuries robbed Klay of his once-stellar perimeter defense, and his shooting fell in the same general district as Hield.
A look at the numbers, from the 2021-22 season through 2023-24:
Field shooting percentage: Thompson 43.3 percent from the field, Hield 44.8.
Three-point percentage: Thompson 39.7 percent, Hield 39.2.
Scoring averages per 36 minutes per season: Thompson 24.9, 23.8 and 21.7; Range 18.2, 19.5, 16.9. The totals are somewhat offset by Hield’s much lower volume, as he averaged less than 12 shots per game with the Indiana Pacers and 76ers.
While Thompson’s stats were compiled with the Warriors while sharing the court with Stephen Curry, Hield’s came while playing with the Sacramento Kings, Pacers and 76ers.
From an objective standpoint, Thompson, 34, and Hield, 31, have become very similar players – and that includes defense. Hield’s 115.7 rating last season was slightly better than Thompson’s 116.1. Neither is great, although Klay tends to hold his own against bigger players.
Then there’s the fact that Hield has played a maximum of 246 games over the past three seasons — including 84 between Indy and Philly last season. It is not yet in the “load management” phase.
The Warriors have been preparing for the possibility of Thompson’s departure since last summer, when he rejected their offer of a two-year, $48 million contract extension. They went through a maze of metrics, formulating Plans from A to Z.
In search of an available big guard capable of providing the shooting and spacing that Klay has had for over a decade, there weren’t many attractive options. Two of the five guys with more triples than Thompson (Ray Allen, Reggie Miller) are retired, two others (James Harden, Damian Lillard) are on other payrolls and the fifth is Golden State’s point guard.
Of those whose value was projected above minimum wage, no one was clearly better than Hield. Eric Gordon was an unrestricted free agent, but is four years older than Hield and quickly committed to the 76ers.
So, the Warriors chose Hield. He will make $8.7 million in the first season of a $37.4 million contract, nearly $6 million less than the $43.2 million Thompson made in his final season with the Warriors.
Thompson is the only major offseason loss for the Warriors. They responded by adding Kyle Anderson, De’Anthony Melton and Hield. Like Klay, Buddy may be cheeky, but he has a knack for scoring spectacular scores.
For a front office that entered the summer with the goal of acquiring Paul George, this represents a nice plan C (Hield), D (Melton) and E (Anderson).
As the NBA’s signing moratorium ends Saturday at 9:01 a.m., the Warriors are one star, Plan B, away from making a remarkable comeback.
