Buddy Hield shows flashes late while Cheick Diallo surges early
LAS VEGAS — Buddy Hield, fresh off a 5-for-20 performance in his NBA summer-league debut, assured local media on Saturday that “Buddy Buckets,” his superhuman shot-making alter ego, would arrive in the encore. But after three quarters against the Utah Jazz, Hield, the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft, had more misses (10) than points (nine). Mild-mannered, indeed.
“I’ve probably never shot like this probably since like sophomore year or freshman year,” Hield said afterward.
Then the buckets started coming easier. Hield made four 3-pointers in a row in the fourth quarter, helping to turn Utah’s coast of a win into a one-point game with 2:23 to play.
“Oh my God, that’s incredible,” New Orleans second-rounder Cheick Diallo said about watching fellow rookie go off.
Hield would go on to miss his final three 3s and was tagged with a technical foul for calling a timeout the Pelicans didn’t have. And his final line — 21 points on 7-for-20 shooting (5-for-14 from 3), seven rebounds, two assists, one turnover — in New Orleans’ 79-72 loss is quite a modest showing or the 22-year-old reigning NCAA player of the year. But getting a glimpse that the guy that lit up college defenses with Steph Curry-like range is in there, if only for a few fleeting minutes, was a welcome site, both for Hield and the fanbase pining for any sliver of hope after a disappointing, injury-marred regular season.
“I got a little rhythm — it’s ‘bout time I got a little rhythm,” Hield said. “I’ve been waiting for that to happen all summer league. I felt better today. Even though I didn’t make as many shots as I wanted to, I felt better. I was more calm, and [by the fourth quarter] it was time to let it loose.”
Up until that point, Diallo was the Pelicans rookie making the sort of athletic, eye-catching plays you’d expect to see in this setting from a lottery pick. The 19-year-old who averaged just 7.5 minutes a game in his lone season at Kansas had 12 points and 11 rebounds mostly off of hustle and energy and totalle three of his four blocks within the first six minutes of action, prompting Pelicans summer-league coach Robert Pack to — cautiously — evoke Dikembe Mutombo.
“He’s bringing it,” Pack said. He’s not leaving anything on the floor. He’s coming out playing hard. Sometimes he’s got a mismatch, a disadvantage with the bodies on him, with the weight factor, but he’s using his quickness to get around guys and get himself to offensive rebounds, to block shots, and that’s what we want him to do. Continue to do that and everything else will start to click for him, as far as offensive timing and stuff like that.”
Said Diallo: “Today, I just slowed down a little bit and kept it simple for my teammates. The first game I was too excited. And we talked a lot about everybody rushing. But today I took my time.”
That included keeping time in order to make sure his jump was at its apex when a driver entered the paint.
“You have to read it,” Diallo said. “So sometimes I just count, like three seconds. If you’re driving now, I count, like, in my mind: ‘one, two …” So three, it’s three steps.”
The forward who could one day reasonably defend most positions on the court also flashed some versatility on the offensive end, showing good form and a light touch on a midrange jumper. He’s rarely successful at them at this point, but Pack said he’s encouraging the long, 6-foot-9 big man to shoot it with confidence.
“Once he can secure that rebound, it’s to our advantage,” Pack said. “Cheick can get out, run, get ahead, if not finish then get to the foul line off of that. And also he also just puts pressure on the defense to have to get back and get to him, [which] opens up lanes for someone else. We want him to continue to do that, to continue to play with that pace and that energy, and I think it will all start to come together for him.”
Hield was impressed, too.’
“He’s a confident guy,” Heild said. “He can go up really hard. He’s competing for a spot. Everybody here’s competing for a spot.”
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