By: Addam Francisco
Well look at this… Oklahoma senior Buddy Hield already racking up awards less than a month into the season. Based off his play in his first two games, Heild has earned Big 12 Player of the Week honors once again.
Buddy averages 27.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals in the Sooners’ first two games of the season against Memphis and McNesse State, and shot 56.3 percent from the field and 60 percent from 3-point range (thats not a typo, yes he is shooting better from 3-point than the field).
Against Memphis, Hield had a game-high 30 points with eight rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocked shots. This 30-point game was his third career 30 point game, with his career high being 31.
In game number two against McNesse State Buddy scored 24 points in just 23 minutes, yeah basically half of the game AND shot 9-of-13 from the field along with 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Buddy is a hot commodity right now, many NBA teams are looking at this guy with reason. Standing at 6-4 215 pounds, this player has the speed and length to score on the perimeter with ease, and the strength to go inside and power his way past a lot of players. At almost 22 years old, and today’s definition of a “college basketball player,” Buddy is one of the few seniors. This is something the NBA will look at in good light. Yes, he’ll be a rookie, but he’s the age of seemingly most NBA second and third year players.
Another strength this guy has is his ability to jump passing lanes, and create fast breaks for his team. Defensive awareness is a trait that seems to get overlooked nowadays in the basketball world but Hield brings that to the table. NBA Mock Draft specialists project that Buddy will get drafted late in the lottery to the middle of the first round in the 2016 NBA Draft, provided he continues his dominance through his senior season. For those of you who haven’t seen this guy play, think about Jodie Meeks. Obviously Jodie has him in skill level at this moment, but that’s the direction he’s headed.
