NBA league pass diehards have always known Buddy Hield for one specific thing — the Buddy Hield Cycle. The meme depicts a trend throughout Hield’s career wherein he looks like an All-Star when first joining a team before tailing off considerably after a few weeks.
Postseason is basically a new season…
Buddy Hield Cycle resets 😂 pic.twitter.com/JmeaSmdYTv
— warriorsworld (@warriorsworld) April 21, 2025
Hield’s beginning with the Warriors was a perfect encapsulation of the phenomenon. Golden State opened the season with seven wins in their first eight games, thanks largely in part to his 21.1 points per game and 50.7 percent shooting from 3.
Hield cooled off considerably after that stretch, averaging just 10.1 points and hitting 35.5 percent of his 3’s from that point on. The Warriors looked mediocre alongside him, until the Jimmy Butler trade breathed new life into them.
The good news for the Warriors is that the Hield cycle looks like it may be restarting for the postseason. The gunner was brilliant with 33 points in a Game 7 win in the first round over the Rockets. He kept the hot streak going with 24 points in Game 1 of the second round against the Timberwolves, including 22 in the second half.
When Hield is on, he’s capable of giving the Warriors exactly what they need to compete against anyone. When he’s off, he’s close to unplayable. With Stephen Curry out for a significant portion of this series, Golden State needs the Hield Cylce to stay locked in the hot position.
Buddy Hield is the Warriors biggest X factor
Hield’s play has always been maddening for a number of different reasons. He’s clearly a talented shooter, and he’s capable of getting 3’s up in a hurry. He won the 3-point contest in 2020 and tied Curry’s record for most points in a round in 2025. It’s all of the other stuff that has been the issue.
Hield’s defensive awareness has been a weakness throughout his career. He can chase the ball trying to gamble for steals rather than following his team’s gameplan, leading to disastrous results.
Hield is capable of playing decent defense, and the Warriors have figured out how to hide some of those quirks. When he’s locked in, he can be a ballhawk that changes the tenor of games. That was evident in that Game 7, where he had two blocks and a steal, earning a backhanded compliment from Steve Kerr.
“I’m going to utter some words that have never been spoken before by anyone on Earth,” Kerr told his team in the postgame locker room. “Buddy Hield, you set the tone defensively.”
Kerr continued poking fun at Hield after the Warriors’ Game 1 win, joking that Hield was the team’s stopper. The coach does have some real belief that Hield can guard, though.
“He’s strong, he’s quick, he can stay in front of people,” Kerr said in his postgame remarks. “He’s going to have to guard Ant some in this series, which is as big a challenge as there is.”
Edwards shot just 9-of-22 in Game 1 and was held to 1-of-5 shooting when Hield was his primary defender according to the league’s tracking data. Gary Payton II and Jimmy Butler will be the main guys, but Hield will have to continue that type of success going forward.
Hield has also gotten into trouble in the past by trying to do too much with the ball. Butler went viral during Game 3 of the first round after cameras spotted him trying to teach Hield how to dribble during a stoppage in play. Butler later playfully gave Hield a tip through the media.
“Buddy, stop trying to dribble,” Butler said. “I hate that.”
As tongue-and-cheek as Butler’s comment was, there is something to it. Hield has been way better as a catch-and-shoot specialist. His numbers plummeted during the regular season as he took more and more dribbles.
| Dribbles | Effective FG% | 3-point % |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 59.4% | 39.1% |
| 1 | 54.1% | 35.9% |
| 2 | 48.6% | 32.3% |
| 3-6 | 43.7% | 25.0% |
| 7+ | 42.5% | 12.5% |
The Warriors have gotten the most out of Hield during this stretch by keeping his decisions simple. He’s let it fly from deep, attacked the occasional closeout, and made the quick pass instead of being asked to read the floor.
Buying into that role can be tough for some players (like the one that Hield replaced). Hield hasn’t shown any ego this year though. He’s moved in and out of the starting lineup at various points of the year, taking on whatever role has been asked of him.
That lightheartedness was missing from Warriors teams over the past few seasons, where everything seemed like a grind. Hield has allowed the Warriors to laugh at themselves, and at him.
Butler isn’t the easiest personality to get along with, as anyone in the Minnesota crowd can tell you. He can be hard on teammates and coaches, demanding the most out of them. He described losing his joy towards the end of his tenure with the Heat. Hield has given it back to him.
The Butler-Hield bromance has been one of the best stories of the playoffs. Hield once announced Butler into his press conferences, leading a round of applause for the star. Butler forced Hield to participate in impromptu spelling bee in front of media members, insisting that his teammate didn’t know how to spell the word “connector.” On Tuesday, Butler called out Hield’s repeated use of air quotes, asking if Hield knew what they meant (Hield called them two fingers, much to the delight of Butler).
MORE: How Butler-Hield duo formed hilarious press conference bond
That chemistry matters, and it’s gotten the Warriors playing at their best. At the peak of their dynasty, they relied on a contagious sense of selflessness and joy. Draymond Green’s punch of Jordan Poole illustrated how far removed they were from that era. They needed a buddy to get it back.
