PHILADELPHIA — When Buddy Hield came through a three-way trade, Sixers general manager Daryl Morey expressed excitement, as he believed adding a skilled three-point shooter like Hield was a significant success.
“We feel like we acquired the top player available in the trade deadline,” Morey stated.
Despite Morey's initial belief, Hield has been struggling lately after a decent beginning. Before Tuesday night’s home game with the Pistons, he had a 40 percent three-point shooting average over 11 NBA seasons, but in the last 10 games, it dropped to 31.9 percent. Hield's scoring averaged only 8.7 points during that time, which is not impressive.
In his last four games, he has only made 4 out of 18 three-point shots, which led Sixers coach Nick Nurse to use a baseball analogy.
“I think it’s almost like the guy in the batting slump,” Nurse remarked on Tuesday. “He can’t go up there and swing at everything. You’ve got to find your pitch to hit a little bit, too. We need to get him back playing a little bit better with a little more confidence. We really like him, and we’ve got a couple games left to do it.”
According to Nurse, waiting for the right opportunity is not easy, and he hinted that the coaching staff needs to place Hield in better positions.
“The biggest thing I think is patience sometimes,” Nurse commented. “He’s got to let the ball find him a little bit. And he’s got to stay confident, because he’s a very good shooter.”
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The Sixers didn't play guards Kyle Lowry (due to fluid in the left knee) and Tyrese Maxey (due to left hip tightness) on Tuesday. Their starting lineup was Nick Batum, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre Jr. and point guard Cameron Payne
Nurse was hopeful that guard De’Anthony Melton (with a back issue) would be able to play, but that was not the case.
“Right now, I just want to see him get out there and play,” Nurse said about Melton. “We know what he brings the team.”
Lowrey’s knee swelling requires additional rest. The Sixers have a break on Wednesday and Thursday.
“It’s not too bad,” Nurse stated. “I think he did ding it a little bit in the Miami game. We just want to get him back to feeling a little bit better. We’ve got a few days after this game.”
Forward Robert Covington (with a bone bruise) is still out.
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In his last three games, Sixers small forward KJ Martin played an average of 22 minutes, which is 10 minutes more than his playing time during the rest of his time in Philly.
Martin (6-6, 215) shows that Nurse values defense.
“He’s a really versatile defender,” Nurse commented. “He can guard up to 5 (the center), even though he’s undersized. He is strong and he can guard pretty much everybody on the perimeter if we’re in a switching situation. He’ll take on some real physical challenges. He’ll put his body on people go out and put pressure on people.”
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The Pistons are struggling, although for fans of Sam Hinkie, they are 1.5 games ahead in the competition for the most ping pong balls and the possibility of securing the first overall pick in the draft.
This could help them acquire Serbian guard Nikola Topic, or forwards Alexandre Sarr or Zaccharie Risache, both from France.
"It's definitely humbling when you experience a challenging season like this," stated Pistons coach Monty Williams, who used to play for the Sixers and worked as an assistant for Sixers head coach Brett Brown in the past. "But that's alright. I've gone through humbling basketball and life experiences. I'm fine with that because I know it leads to important growth."
