The Golden State Warriors made up for the departure of Klay Thompson as well as their inability to trade for an All-Star player to supplement their Stephen Curry-led core by adding three quality role players via free agency in Buddy Hield, De’Anthony Melton, and Kyle Anderson. The addition of Hield, in particular, has generated plenty of positive fanfare among the Warriors faithful, as Hield’s marksmanship from deep can actually rival that of Thompson’s.
But a picture of Hield that’s currently making the rounds on social media may very well change the Warriors’ plans for the 31-year-old marksman, knowing Steve Kerr’s coaching tendencies. In the picture, Hield looks more jacked than usual — and with that kind of muscle mass means that he may very well be called upon to play center for the Dubs, at least according to fans who are joking about the situation.
Buddy Hield looking strong as HELL pic.twitter.com/uYWJswvMdX
— 30
roblemz (@30problemz) August 31, 2024
“Steve Kerr boutta run him at center
,” user @GSWarriorsHouse wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Steve Kerr: Oh yeah buddy is playing Center,” @30problemzmuse added.
“he got bulk up cause he knows he finna be playing stretch four for us,” @cedricaqui1 commented.
Indeed, Steve Kerr’s rotation tendencies explain Warriors fans’ jokes regarding Buddy Hield’s seemingly larger build. Kerr has tended to go small in the frontcourt throughout his time as a head coach, opting to go with players who could help space the floor and make plays. When pushed to the limit, Kerr would usually go to his trusted lineup with Draymond Green at the five — to much success.
Alas, over the past two seasons, the Warriors’ lack of size has become more and more glaring. Fans have been calling on the team to sign a more traditional center, size-wise, such as Andre Drummond to cover for this deficiency. Alas, they have mostly stood pat in this regard, which wasn’t exactly the worst decision in the world amid the emergence of Trayce Jackson-Davis.
Of course, there is no way that Kerr will be lining Hield up at the four or the five, especially when the team has better small-ball options such as Jonathan Kuminga, Andrew Wiggins, and Kyle Anderson. But Warriors fans are merely laughing away the pain, and after the past few seasons, it’s understandable as to why.
Warriors’ shooting guard position battle will be one to watch
At present, the Warriors have as many as four possible candidates to start at shooting guard, namely Buddy Hield, Brandin Podziemski, De’Anthony Melton, and even Moses Moody. All four have varying strengths and weaknesses, but at this juncture, it seems as though Podziemski is the favorite to claim the starting job.
The Warriors held Podziemski out of trade talks for stars such as Paul George and Lauri Markkanen, which shows how highly the franchise views the 21-year-old guard. They have been impressed with his feel for the game, and they want him to become even more confident with his shot-selection — preparing him to fill a huge secondary scorer role after Klay Thompson’s departure.
But spacing-wise, Hield is the best option. The Dubs don’t have to tell Hield to let it fly from beyond the arc, for that is his default mode. Since the start of the 2016-17 season, Hield’s rookie campaign, he has made the second-most triples (1,924), only trailing Stephen Curry (2,142).
Podziemski may have the starting job right out of the gate, but Hield could very well usurp him in the depth chart if he falls prey to the sophomore slump.
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