Hield amassed 31 points (12-17 FG, 7-12 3Pt), two rebounds, five assists, one block and two steals in 35 minutes during Wednesday's 132-131 loss to the Raptors.
Hield has had limited scoring output for most of the season, but he's joined the starting lineup in his last two appearances and has posted his two highest scoring totals of the year while shooting 72.2 percent from beyond the arc. Despite Hield's lackluster results earlier this year, he's been dominant as a starter, so it certainly seems possible that he retains that role.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Joins starting lineup
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Hield will join the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against Atlanta.
This is a bit of a surprise, as Hield has been ice-cold with a combined five points in his previous two games. Hield and Aaron Nesmith are replacing Bennedict Mathurin and Obi Toppin in the first unit, though it remains to be seen if this is a permanent switch.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Limited production Sunday
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Hield finished Sunday's 128-116 loss to Orlando with three points (1-4 FG, 1-4 3Pt), one rebound and two assists over 15 minutes.
Hield scored in double figures in nine of his first 10 appearances of the season, but he's now been held to single-digit scoring totals in back-to-back matchups. His overall production is down from last year in most areas to begin the 2023-24 campaign, as he's averaging 11.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 22.8 minutes per game, and his recent performances have been discouraging.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Held in check Tuesday
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Hield totaled two points (1-5 FG, 0-3 3Pt), two rebounds, one assist and one steal across 29 minutes during Tuesday's 132-126 victory over Philadelphia.
Hield scored in double figures in nine of his first 10 appearances of the year, but he had his worst scoring performance of the young season during Tuesday's narrow victory. He failed to hit a three-pointer for the first time this season and saw decreased numbers in multiple categories despite playing 29 minutes. Hield has had serviceable production for the Pacers this year, and Tuesday's performance seems to be an outlier.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Leading scorer off the bench
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Hield registered 16 points (6-13 FG, 4-8 3Pt), four rebounds and three assists over 21 minutes in Sunday's 137-126 loss to the 76ers.
Hield has scored in double-digits in all but one game this season and has played at least 21 minutes in his last seven games. He's been the main scoring option off the bench for the Pacers -- particularly when Haliburton is off the floor. Hield has seen his three-point shooting drop to 37.3 percent entering tonight's game, but he'll continue to be a nightly, high-volume threat from beyond the arc.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Scores easy 19 points
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Hield posted 19 points (7-8 FG, 5-6 3Pt), two rebounds, two assists and one steal across 21 minutes during Monday's 152-111 victory over the Spurs.
Hield has now posted back-to-back 19 point games, but the energy is atypical compared to his previous seasons in Indiana. Coming off the bench and taking a supplemental role to the Pacers' youth development at times, Hield is averaging just 13.4 points per game after averaging 17.5 through the first seven contests of last season. He could be on the rise, however.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Productive in multiple areas
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Hield closed with seven points (3-8 FG, 1-4 3Pt), four rebounds, five assists and one steal over 24 minutes during Wednesday's 155-104 loss to the Celtics.
Hield scored in double figures in his first three appearances of the season but fell just short of the mark during Wednesday's blowout loss. However, he remained productive in rebounds and assists and is now averaging 10.5 points, 4.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds in 21.8 minutes per game this season.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Leads bench in scoring
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Hield registered 14 points (5-9 FG, 4-7 3Pt), five assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block in 25 minutes in Wednesday's 143-120 win over the Wizards.
Hield came off the bench during the preseason with the Pacers electing to start Bennedict Mathurin at shooting guard. Hield played just one less minute than Mathurin in the season opener, shot more efficiently than the latter and tied with newcomer Bruce Brown for the best plus/minus on the team with plus-15. Hield could be a dark horse candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year award if he's able to shoot efficiently coming off the bench during the regular season.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Continues to work off bench
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Hield finished Monday's preseason win over Atlanta with 11 points (3-10 FG, 3-9 3Pt, 2-3 FT), five assists and three rebounds in 21 minutes.
Hield has primarily been a starter for most of his career, but it's worth noting that Indiana has brought him off the bench in each of its first three exhibition contests, while Bennedict Mathurin has started at shooting guard. With Opening Night just a week away, the situation will be something to monitor. If Hield does move to a reserve role, it could hurt his overall upside, but he'd likely still see more than enough minutes to remain a high-end producer of three-pointers for fantasy managers in roto leagues. Last month, it was reported that Hield is on the trade block after failing to reach a contract extension agreement with the Pacers, so a mid-season move is possible, if not likely.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Extension contracts stall
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Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that contract extensions between Hield and the Pacers have stalled, so Indiana has begun trade conversations.
Hield started 73 of 80 games for Indiana last season, averaging 16.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.2 steals in 31.0 minutes per game. He shot 42.5 percent from deep, the second-highest mark of his career. However, the Pacers added Bruce Brown, Jarace Walker and Obi Toppin to their wing group this offseason, and it appears Hield is the odd man out. Hield has one year remaining on the four-year, $94 million extension he signed with the Kings in 2019.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Middle-of-the-road effort in return
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Hield had 13 points (5-12 FG, 3-8 3Pt, 0-1 FT), three rebounds, five assists and two steals across 24 minutes during Friday's 121-117 win over the Thunder.
Hield's return from a two-game absence didn't yield any exceptional results, but it wasn't bad, either. Hield notched five of his 13 points early in the fourth quarter to give the Pacers a bit of an offensive boost, but he wasn't part of the team's late-game equation. Hield appears bound to play off the bench the remainder of the way after starting the first 73 contests of the season, but that amounts to just four more games at this point.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Left off injury report
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Hield (illness) isn't on the injury report for Friday's game versus the Thunder.
Hield appears good to go Friday after missing the previous two games with a non-COVID illness. His return will likely result in decreased minutes Bennedict Mathurin and Jordan Nwora.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Practices Thursday
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Hield (illness) participated in Thursday's practice session, Tony East of SI.com reports.
Hield has missed the Pacers' last two games due to an illness, but it was encouraging to see him return to practice Thursday. Whether he'll be available Friday against Oklahoma City remains to be seen, but he appears to be trending in the right direction.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Ruled out Wednesday
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Hield has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Bucks due to a non-COVID illness.
Hield was initially left off the Pacers' injury report after missing Monday's game against Dallas due to his illness, but he'll sit for a second consecutive matchup. Andrew Nembhard and Bennedict Mathurin are candidates to see increased run once again.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Left off injury report
Rotowire
Hield (illness) isn't on the injury report for Wednesday's game versus the Bucks.
Hield will return to the lineup Wednesday after missing the previous game with a non-COVID illness. Hield had come off the bench in his previous two outings, so it remains to be seen if he will re-enter the starting unit.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Ruled out with illness
Rotowire
Hield will not play Monday versus the Mavericks due to an illness.
Hield's next chance to play will be Wednesday against the Bucks. The Pacers could also be without Tyrese Haliburton (ankle), so we could see a lot of Jordan Nwora, who is coming off a 33-point eruption against the Hawks on Saturday.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Moves to bench role Friday
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Hield will appear off the bench Friday versus the Celtics.
Hield had started every game since joining the Pacers prior to Friday's affair, but the coaching staff has apparently decided to shake things up and will bring the sharpshooter off the bench. Hield should still play a healthy minute total and could actually be counted on more heavily for scoring in the second unit, so it remains to be seen how the role change will affect his fantasy value.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Efficient outing in win
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Hield closed with 20 points (8-11 FG, 3-5 3Pt, 1-1 FT), four rebounds, six assists and two steals over 34 minutes during Thursday's 139-123 victory over the Bucks.
Hield bounced back from a seven-point performance last time out to notch his first 20-point outing since March 2. The sharpshooter also dished out at least six assists for just the sixth time this season and recorded multiple steals for the third time over his past four appearances. As long as Tyrese Haliburton (knee), Bennedict Mathurin (ankle) and Chris Duarte (ankle) are sidelined, Hield figures to continue garnering increased offensive usage.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: Available Thursday
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Hield (foot) is available Thursday against the Bucks, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star reports.
Hield was questionable ahead of Thursday's matchup but will be able to suit up despite his sore left foot. He's been held to single-digit scoring totals in two of his last five appearances and has averaged 13.0 points and 7.2 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game during that time.
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Pacers' Buddy Hield: May sit Thursday
Rotowire
Hield (foot) is questionable for Thursday's matchup against the Bucks.
Despite a sore left foot, Hield played 22 minutes against the Pistons on Monday, though he scored just seven points on 3-for-12 shooting. Indiana's injury report is lengthy, so fantasy managers should check in before tipoff to see who may be in line for bigger roles if Hield sits out.
