The banter between Jimmy Butler and Buddy Hield has been evident since the former's arrival at the Golden State Warriors in early February, with the veteran duo regularly taking playful jabs at each other during post-game press conferences.
Yet there's always an element of truth in what Butler and Hield say to each other to the media, and that was certainly the case again after Game 1 of the Warriors' first-round series against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center.
Jimmy Butler told Buddy Hield what every Warriors fan has been thinking
After talking about Golden State's need to box out and work harder on the glass after Houston had 22 offensive rebounds in Game 1, Butler finished his statement by singling out Hield and criticising his dribbling.
“And Buddy, stop trying to dribble...I hate that," Butler said after the 95-85 victory that saw the Warriors steal home-court advantage.
While part of this is said in good humor, there's also a very serious element that Butler is clearly alluding to. Hield is a far more effective player for the Warriors when he keeps things simple and is solely a catch-and-shoot threat, rather than trying to take defenders off the dribble which inevitably ends with an ugly contested shot or turnover.
The numbers well and truly back up that sentiment. Hield shoots 39.1% on catch-and-shoot threes this season, with the numbers dipping dramatically whenever he takes a shot off the dribble. The 32-year-old shoots 35.9% on 3-point attempts after one dribble, 32.3% after two dribbles, 25% on 3-6 dribbles, and 12.5% after seven.
The numbers were similar last season when Hield was a member of the Indiana Pacers and Philadelphia 76ers, having shot 41.7% on catch-and-shoot threes, 33% after one dribble, and 20% after two.
That's in stark contrast to Stephen Curry who actually shoots better after one or two dribbles than he does off the catch. The 2x MVP shot 43.5% on catch-and-shoot attempts during the regular season, but that percentage rose to 48% (one dribble) and 46.3% (two dribbles) once he put the ball on the floor.
While Butler may have only said it publicly on Sunday, Hield's dribbling has been a source of frustration for Golden State fans since early in the season. His performance on Sunday hardly helped his reputation as an untrustworthy playoff piece, with some Warrior fans calling for Hield to be axed from the rotation after going for just two points on 1-of-4 shooting in 15 minutes off the bench.
