Hield will be an important component of the Dubs’ offense.
The opening of training camp can both evoke familiarity and a sense of the unknown. In the Golden State Warriors’ case, the known quantities have been evergreen for nearly a decade — that is, in the case of franchise stalwarts Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Some have been around for quite a while, enough to command fan-favorite status: Gary Payton II, Jonathan Kuminga, and Moses Moody, to name a few.
But the dark side of the Warriors’ moon is highlighted by a few league veterans who’ve been past opponents and occasional tormentors — none of whom may be more intriguing than the sharpshooting Buddy Hield, who two seasons ago was second only to Klay Thompson in terms of three-point makes. Hield averages 7.6 three-point attempts in his eight years as a professional; extrapolating that number to per-75 possessions brings it up to 9.5 attempts.
Perhaps the most glaring statistical nugget concerning Hield: his 2,682 three-point attempts over the last five seasons ranks second. The only one who has taken more over that time period? Curry.
While Hield may not have reached Thompson’s two-way peak — and probably never will — he is a serviceable doppelganger in terms of three-point volume. The Warriors’ approach to replacing a shot-chucking movement shooter was simple: replace him with another shot-chucking movement shooter. But Hield’s volume shooting from beyond the arc is more than justified. He’s a career 40% shooter on threes, a plug-and-play option within sets that were once catered toward Thompson.
So it was to my surprise that, during the Philadelphia 76ers’ playoff series against the New York Knicks, Hield was given the central role in a half-court set, even with the likes of Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey as his teammates. But it was the smart decision, given Hield’s nature as a shooter who only needs one swish to fan the proverbial flame.
The set starts with a typical double drag or double ball-screen — conventional and widespread in the NBA. But Hield plays the role of the rare fourth party in what is typically a three-man action:
Nomenclature matters little compared to intent and purpose when it comes to analyzing these sets, but for curiosity’s sake, this set is known by a couple of names:
- “Finland” action (coined by JJ Redick in an episode of the now-defunct Mind the Game podcast and apparently named as such due to Lauri Markkanen)
- “77 Spain Veer STS” (77 = NBA terminology for double drag screens; Spain = a shooter setting a backscreen for the ball-screener; Veer = a ball-screener setting a pindown screen for a shooter after setting the ball-screen; STS = screen the screener)
(For the purposes of this article, let’s refer to this set as “Finland.”)
Like several half-court sets with plenty of moving parts, Finland aims to cause as much confusion and chaos as possible. Hield serves as the spark of such confusion; as his nature as a movement shooter, his usage as a screener is paramount in making this set an astounding success. Miscommunication on what was supposed to be a switch between Donte DiVincenzo and Josh Hart results in an unchecked Hield, who comes off of Embiid’s screen to drill the open three.
The Sixers aren’t the only team that has run this set for Hield. The NBA is a closed loop of concepts and plays passed around by a fraternity of coaches, whose shamelessness in “borrowing” (i.e., “stealing”) plays makes for a bit of fun analysis work. Sixers head coach Nick Nurse definitely did his research on Hield and which sets involving him had the highest success rates. During Hield’s tenure with the Sacramento Kings, he was also used in an identical role as a backscreener and movement shooter in Finland action — but instead of his defender getting confused and switching off of him, Hield’s man opts to stay attached:
The outcome — a lob to Marvin Bagley III — is eerily similar to the Warriors’ version of Finland below:
In Hield’s place is the greatest shooter of all time, who also happens to be the most willing off-ball screener of all time. Little needs to be expounded on Curry’s off-ball value and how his movement and screening chops inflict world-ending confusion upon unsuspecting opponents (who should be much more suspecting by now given Curry’s body of work and reputation).
Curry’s former Splash Brother also reaped the benefits of this set. Thompson profiles more similarly to Hield, in the sense that both of them are preferred as off-ball operators with a limited meter of on-ball effectiveness. Both of them are also willing passers should the window to pass be opened, although you wouldn’t categorize them among the best passers against aggressive coverages.
Instead, as Thompson once famously stated, the likes of him and Hield are “paid to shoot” — and shoot, they will:
In a sense, Hield’s presence on the floor is already a boon on the Warriors’ offense, a massive help for Curry, and a potential key to unlock the middle of the floor — even with Hield merely acting as a standstill bystander. Using the double drag concept once more, the first screener in the double drag setup conventionally stays put beyond the arc, while the second screener rolls toward the rim. With another shooter occupying the weak-side corner (thus nailing his man toward him and disallowing low-man help), this allows the roller ample diving room toward the rim.
Hield’s time with the Indiana Pacers made use of this concept using an initial “wide” or away screen for Hield, who then sets a ballscreen after coming off and becomes the first screener in a double drag action. Hield stays put after setting the screen, which eliminates his man from the equation down the middle:
As you would probably guess, the Warriors also make use of this concept. They call their version of the action above “Quick 55” — and as Team USA’s head coach, Steve Kerr previously used this action in the lead up to the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
In Hield’s role is Austin Reaves, whose pedigree as a shooter isn’t as reputed but is enough to inflict hesitation upon his defender, allowing Paolo Banchero to roll to the rim without much resistance:
In this and many more regards, Hield’s role as both a movement and standstill shooter can pay dividends for the Warriors. The varying double-drag concepts the Warriors and Hield are both familiar with provide the template for familiarity. Using that springboard, the sense of the unknown can easily progress into a comfortable and productive camaraderie.
The Warriors may not have gotten the Finland they were hoping to get — but Hield could be the kind of “Finland” they may need in order to help unlock their offense this season.