Oklahoma Sooners Basketball: How Buddy Hield has Turned Into the National Player of the Year Favorite

I’m sure Buddy Hield thought long and hard about his future last spring.

After a heartbreaking 62-58 loss to Michigan State in last year’s Sweet 16, Hield, a projected first round NBA draft pick, took almost a month to decide whether to make the jump to the pros.

Hield decided to stay in school, instantly making Oklahoma a preseason top 10 team and Final Four contender. But Hield had much to work on.

Last season he was primarily a three point gunner, with over 50% of his field goal attempts coming from beyond the arc. That was perfectly acceptable since that recipe helped him earn “Big 12 Player of the Year” last season.

Oklahoma Sooners

However, he knew that he had to be so much more for Oklahoma to go to the next level. He had to be so much more in order for his draft stock to get even higher.

In the middle of last season, nbadraft.net listed his main weaknesses, concluding that “he needs to expand his offensive game or he could be pigeon holed as a long range specialist.”

Thankfully, Hield was aware of this. He went out and worked on his ball handling, hoping to supplement his deadly shooting with a good off the dribble game as well.

According to tulsaworld.com, Hield’s teammate Isaiah Cousins pointed out Hield’s changed game at this year’s Big 12 Media Day: “His handling is getting real nice. He’s splitting screens. It’s getting real tight. He’s gonna be trouble.”

Clearly, Cousins was right. Through 11 games, he’s averaging 25 points per game on only 15 shot attempts. And he’s quickly gaining steam as the favorite for National Player of the Year.

And he’s getting even better as the season goes on. Since December 12, he’s averaging almost 30 points per game.

“Last year, he was a shooter. This year, he’s a basketball player,” noted Creighton head coach Greg McDermott after a 33 point performance against them one week ago (via Sports Talk 1400).

This is clear to see in any stat you try to find. As noted earlier, last season he shot 52% of his shots from beyond the arc (all stats via hoop-math.com). That’s fine, because he is a great shooter, shooting about 36%. But that led to a lower field goal percentage, because most defenders noted that was all he was going to do. Just 30% of his attempts came at the rim. Too often would he have a  big man switch onto him, and while he should be driving past them, he would throw up a bad three, off the bounce, with a hand in his face:

This year, obviously, things are different. Hield’s shooting just 41% of his shots from beyond the arc. That’s because now he’s now shooting 45% of his shots at the rim.

This has led to a major increase in his three-point percentage, and free throw rate, too. Since he’s no longer forcing up bad shots, his three-point percentage is up to an absurd 53%, and he’s getting to the free throw line over six times a game. Last year, he shot six or more free throws in just nine of 36 games.

So now, when a big man switches onto him, he has the confidence, and the ability, to attack the rim:

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So as the season heads into conference play, the Big 12 better watch out. Buddy Hield has put himself head and shoulders above not only every other player in the Big 12, but every other player in the country as well.

He has Oklahoma ready for not only a run at the Big 12 conference championship, but a national championship as well.