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Everybody keeps saying it: the Bucks need more shooting. It's not quite as simple as that--they need a lot of things, and figuring out where exactly this hypothetical hot-shooting newcomer would fit into the rotation is a complicated task--but the sentiment is right on the money. No single prospect in the draft better fills that particular need than Buddy Hield - SG, Oklahoma, the #5 player on our 2016 Draft Board.
A "shooting" guard in every sense of the word, Hield's senior season with the Sooners was one of the finest offensive seasons in decades. Scoring nearly 30 points per 40 minutes on an absolutely absurd 67% true shooting, Hield was both prolific and efficient despite getting every bit of attention his opponents could offer night in and night out. Lethal in catch-and-shoot situations for years, Hield's off-the-dribble offense improved significantly during his career at Oklahoma, and he's excellent at moving without the ball to find open shots. He's not particularly creative with the ball in his own hands, showing a relative lack of creativity and quickness that may especially limit his ability to score in traffic. Don't expect him to share much in the point guard duties, either. He's very much the personification of the SG position right now: likely the least important on the floor in most cases, but capable of impacting the game through sheer scoring punch given the right opportunity.
Were he even two years younger, Hield would almost certainly be in the running for a top-3 pick. Shooting is typically written off as the most-improvable skill, but Hield's other shortcomings might be seen as more "natural talents"--the sort of things unlikely to suddenly appear as a player enters his mid-20s. In that sense, Hield lacks the upside of other younger prospects who may have more flaws, but he's also the sort of guy who seems sure to provide some moderate amount of production no matter where he lands.
Hield is a bit undersized for the position, but he's strong and has good length to at least hold his own against opposing twos (just don't ask him to slide up on bigger wings). Perhaps equally important, everybody agrees that Hield has that inner fire coaches are always raving on about. He's a competitive player who works hard to improve and won't back down from a challenge.
2016 Brew Hoop Community Draft Board
1. Ben Simmons - F, LSU - DraftExpress Profile
2. Brandon Ingram - SF, Duke - DraftExpress Profile
3. Jamal Murray - G, Kentucky - DraftExpress Profile
4. Dragan Bender - PF, International - DraftExpress Profile
5. Buddy Hield - SG, Oklahoma - DraftExpress Profile