Buddy Hield jokes that he’s always been the best shooter on his team. Tyrese Maxey responds.
The question was asked as Hield prepares to join the Golden State Warriors and play alongside Stephen Curry, one of the greatest shooters in basketball history.
Former 76ers guard Buddy Hield switched teams this offseason, joining up with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors in a sign-and-trade.
Curry, of course, is perhaps the greatest shooter in NBA history, revolutionizing the game with his success from three-point range. But Hield is also known for his shooting prowess, shooting a career 40% from beyond the arc, which was one of the main reasons the Sixers acquired him at the deadline last season.
That said, Hield’s 2023-24 season wasn’t up to his usual standard, but he’s still confident in his shooting. A reporter asked if he’d ever played on a team where he wasn’t the best shooter. Hield had a quick response.
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“No,” Hield joked. “Tyrese Haliburton, we all know how competitive he is about that, but Steph is, he’s the one. I’ve been watching him all my life. I’m ready to learn, ready to watch him, see how he goes about his shooting mechanics, how he goes about his workout routine.
“I think it’s going to be an interesting year for me, just to learn from him and see how he goes about himself, his professionalism. I think [that’s] why I’m excited.”
Of course, as aggregators on X are wont to do, one site misquoted Hield a bit.
“For the first time in my life i’m not the best shooter on my team,” the post read, and Tyrese Maxey had some jokes in response.
Maxey had the fifth-best shooting percentage in the NBA in 2022-23 at 43.4% and the third-best in the league in 2021-22 at 42.7%. In fact, the highlight of his season came during a flurry of threes that helped extend the Sixers’ first-round series against the New York Knicks to six games.