Buddy Hield, guard
Buddy Hield is already an established 20 point per game scorer and a phenomenal threat from downtown, but he still has to prove his worth this offseason. Halfway through last season, Buddy was relegated to the bench in favor of Bogdan Bogdanovic.
While Hield managed to continue scoring off the bench, it was clear he was disgruntled with his new role. With Bogi gone, the logical suggestion would be to move Buddy back into the starting lineup. But it’s not quite that simple.
Coach Luke Walton emphasized that Hield is in no way a guaranteed starter, stating he must prove himself at camp if he wants his role back.
"“We’ve got a lot of new faces here, so we have to continue to look at what’s going to be best for our team”."
This could be Waltons way of motivating the reigning 3-point champion, but perhaps Walton is legitimately looking at the likes of Tyrese Halliburton for that starting role.
Either way, Hield will need to show up to training camp with the motivation and mindset that the starting role is not his. A motivated, dialed-in Hield is a scary prospect for any team, and with the season just around the corner, the Kings are gonna need all the firepower they can get.