Warriors film breakdown: On Buddy Hield's hot shots, off-ball moves and defense

The budding love affair between Golden State Warriors fans and new signing Buddy Hield can be seen by how great a shooter he is proving to be. A preseason line of 12.2 points on 48.7% shooting from distance (on 6.5 attempts, 19 of 39 overall) may be enough to score a goal – if you put up 49 points in your first two regular season games Shooting 69.2% from the field and a 12-of-16 clip on three-pointers (!!!) is enough to make you want to risk it all.

That's a perfectly valid reason to let Hield sell you. But there are other aspects of his game during the first two contests of the regular season that may be more attractive than his napalm shooting. Take, for example, a particular two-possession sequence during the Warriors' loss to the Portland Trail Blazers. At the 1:39 mark of the first quarter – with the Blazers making free throws thanks to Kris Murray – Steve Kerr gives his players the play on the ensuing half-court possession. Inconspicuously (i.e. if you pay attention to what is happening on the sidelines) he shows a “thumbs up” sign:

This is the call to respond to one of their “Thumb” series promotions. The variation they run involves a wide away screen, a pass to the player coming from that screen, and a double stagger action on the weak side, particularly for Hield. The set is temporarily delayed as De'Anthony Melton tries to create himself – but he returns to the program, passes the ball to Brandin Podziemski and fakes the screen for Hield with a cut. Hield then leaves Kevon Looney's away screen and scores a three-pointer, made possible by Looney's screen and the Blazers' drop coverage.

However, it was the defensive possession that followed that made me – and certainly many others – frown. With the Warriors able to properly set up their half-court defense due to successful offensive possession, the Blazers look to run an “angle” pick-and-roll for Anfernee Simons, who is their biggest scoring threat and the night's priority opponent, according to scouting reports. Therefore, the Warriors opt to play relatively more aggressive coverage instead of leaving Looney behind. While this allows Simons to successfully get the ball out of her hands, it puts her at risk of a 4-on-3 situation if the pass to the screener comes on a short roll (a setup that Draymond Green celebrated out of the over). in the last decade).

Looney is forced to pop out higher than is normally comfortable to adjust to the screen created by Donovan Clingan. To explain this potentially compromising scenario, observe where Hield positions himself preemptively:

By preemptively positioning himself at the “nail” (the area roughly in the middle of the free throw line), Hield is in a perfect assist position. He is more than willing to leave his man (Murray) temporarily, knowing that a long pass to the weak wing is a risky play; If the pass gets there anyway, he would have more than enough time to either get back to Murray or “x-out” (more on that in a moment) should Melton decide to rotate toward Murray.

Therefore, Hield's decision to monitor the short throw works in his favor – and further impresses with his subsequent attempt against Simons in one-on-one defense:

Between the flashier sequences like the one above, there were other subtle nuances that Hield showed as a defender. Note the previous mention of the “X-out” – defined as a weakside rotation in which multiple defenders swap matchups to guard players in the open court, creating a literal “X” in their recovery paths. What makes this concept difficult to implement is the amount of communication and connectivity required between the two defenders involved.

It is extremely easy for both defenders to see where the ball is going, pivot towards the same man and leave themselves vulnerable to a swinging pass to the man left open, be it in the corner or on the wing. A successful X-Out takes away both options simultaneously – which is what happens below when Hield has the wherewithal to close towards the wing instead of the corner:

Of course, the above sequence was preceded by another Hield three-pointer, taken from a broken “thumb” action set that required Hield to improvise around a ball screen with his off-ball movement and chop throws:

Using Hield early in the season on the floor where he wasn't expected to contribute much is like finding an 11th chicken nugget in the 10 box. But at the same time, at least in this regard, Hield's survival is a prerequisite for him staying on the floor. Not only did he survive, he is doing well. That trend continued against the Utah Jazz, where Hield's defensive efforts took center stage again alongside his red-hot shooting.

Hield's forward-thinking demeanor as a defender is the standout feature. Similar to how he anticipated and blocked Clingan's short throw, he anticipates the pass to Walker Kessler down low and intercepts the pass, triggering the break and giving him an easy transition layup:

So far this early season, Hield has been the Warriors' deadliest transition weapon. Lose sight of him for any reason — Stephen Curry draws more attention, splashes of color cause defenses to collapse, etc. — and Hield will make you pay. It also doesn't help that he has the means of movement to shake off his defender when actively marked in transition.

As the Warriors stop and begin the break, Hield runs down the right side to fill the lane. He makes sure to convince his man that he wants to head to the paint – before stopping abruptly and retreating behind the three-point line:

The Hield riot consisted mainly of transition options like the one mentioned above. To be honest, the Jazz's transition defense left a lot to be desired. Against much better teams, Hield probably won't produce the same quality – or at least he will have to undergo a second or third attempt if these gaps appear against good defenses.

But some of the half-court appearances he was able to get were a testament both to his individual skill as a shooter and to his near-perfect fit in this offense. At the 1:06 mark of the first quarter, the Warriors execute a typical low-post split with a direct feed to the right block. As a passer in the post, Hield is usually the one checking the teammate next to him. Since that teammate is Jonathan Kuminga – who is not considered a threatening moving shooter – Hield leads his defender to the elbow to set the screen below the three-point line for Kuminga. At least that's how it looks at first.

Perhaps anticipating the silver screen for Kuminga, Hield's husband (Collin Sexton) moves a little away from Hield in preparation for a move. But that's exactly what Hield wants – as soon as Sexton pulls away from him ever so slightly, Hield reveals himself as the true receiver by running away from the Kuminga screen, turning around and making himself available behind the line:

Hield is a quick absorber of the Warriors' movement concepts. In Curry he certainly has the ideal shooting partner/teacher, who most likely taught Hield the above maneuver – as Curry himself has done many times in the past:

As such, Hield praised Curry for being a selfless veteran and a factor in his early success in this Warriors ecosystem.

“Steph is one of the most humble superstars I’ve ever seen,” Hield said after their win against the Jazz. “The way he carries himself on and off the basketball court… I look at basketball differently than I did on previous teams.”

If the Warriors continue to see this version of Hield, different from the version played on previous teams, they will surely reap the rewards of acquiring the ultimate three-and-D piece to replace the lost piece.