NBA Power Rankings: Tiering all 30 projected starting small forwards for 2023-24

17. Buddy Hield, Indiana Pacers

Buddy Hield may have found his way to the trade block but at least for the time being, he’s still projected to be the starting small forward for the Indiana Pacers. Even though Hield has probably played his best basketball in the NBA, he’s still a very good player at this point in his career. Hield is coming off an impressive season in which he averaged 17 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game on 46 percent shooting from the field and 43 percent shooting from 3-point range.

It’s not an overstatement to say that he may be one of the three best 3-point shooters in the league heading into the new season. That’s an extremely valuable weapon for any team to have on their team, which is why he should emerge as an attractive trade option for many teams.

Hield may be beyond the point where he can develop into an established star player, as a soon-to-be 31-year-old, but that doesn’t mean he still isn’t a player with star talent.