The early season optimism for the Golden State Warriors gave way to a losing streak which had them tumbling down the standings in the Western Conference.
They received a shot in the arm against the Minnesota Timberwolves after dispatching them 114-106 for only their second win in eight games.
Steph Curry led the way with 30 points and eight assists while Buddy Hield rediscovered his early-season shooting touch.
Jonathan Kuminga continued his ascent to the next level with 20 points and all of a sudden, the confidence and momentum are right with the Bay Area team.
Curry reserved extremely high praise for one of his teammates after the game which reinforced that the “vibes” in the team are back.
Since getting drafted in 2009 by the Warriors, Steph Curry has played with some truly world-class teammates who have played a part in him earning multiple rings.
Therefore, when Curry talks about a teammate who’s better at something than “he’s ever seen anybody”, people are bound to sit up and take notice.
That’s what he did in the aftermath of the Timberwolves game when he praised his teammate for spending more hours in the gym than he’s ever seen anybody.
That praise was reserved for Buddy Hield, who was scorching hot from distance, shooting 7/13 from three, every single of those buckets massive in an eventual eight-point win.
Adding three steals to his tally to complete an all-around successful game, Hield was hailed by Curry.
Curry said: “He probably puts more hours in the gym than I think I’ve ever seen anybody. Just his approach, he brings joy to the locker room. No matter where we’re at, you’re gonna hear him.
“The work that he puts in. I heard him say he won’t leave the gym until it feels good. So if he’s in a rough stretch you know he’s gonna put more time in to get himself out of it.”
Hield echoed those sentiments after the game, saying that as a shooter, he never loses confidence even if he’s going through a tough patch.
In Draymond Green and Steph Curry, the Warriors have two proven clutch contributors and Steve Kerr knows what he’ll get from them when it matters.
However, after Klay Thompson’s departure, there’s no clear third option, a place which Buddy Hield looks to have raised his hand up for.
Alongside the likes of Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Kevon Looney, he is the chief among the role players who will decide how far the Warriors go this season.
That was reflected in their recent losing streak where the team couldn’t stay afloat amid some players being unavailable.
This Warriors team is extremely deep but the other side of that argument is that they have no clear stars beyond the Curry-Green pairing and even in that, Green can blow hot and cold.
If and when that happens, they’ll need Hield to step up and make himself count as the genuine third option. His attitude has been spot on and Curry is already a fan.
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