Warriors' Buddy Hield admits he 'studied' Stephen Curry
10/25/2024 02:48 PM
After years of looking up to Stephen Curry, Buddy Hield finally gets to play alongside the player he tries to model his game after. The two are now teammates on the Golden State Warriors entering the 2024-2025 season.
Hield told reporters before the team’s road game against the Utah Jazz on Oct. 25 that he has admired Curry’s game for years. The former lottery pick admitted to “studying the hell” out of Curry long before they shared a locker room.
“No, [I didn’t know Stephen Curry] but I studied the hell out of him, though,” Hield said, via Anthony Slater. “I watched all his highlights and games. If he’s playing, I’m that guy who was like, ‘Yo I gotta watch him play.’
“[Curry] shoots the ball high. He has great arc on his ball and that’s what I’ve been working on… He has a unique arc and it’s fluid.”
Hield came off the bench in the team’s season opener; a 140-104 thrashing of the Portland Trail Blazers. He scored 22 points in just 15 minutes, making five of his seven three-point attempts. His hot shooting led the team in scoring in his Warriors debut.
Despite the team thriving on offense, Curry struggled, going just 4-for-10 from the field. The 36-year-old managed to muster 17 points but had his biggest impact as a playmaker, adding a game-high 10 assists to go with nine rebounds.
Warriors travel to Utah for second regular season outing
Looking to follow up on their torrid start to the season, the Warriors remain on the road for their second game. Golden State will move from Portland to Salt Lake City where they will take on the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are 0-1 on the young season after losing a two-point heartbreaker in their season opener to the Memphis Grizzlies.
While the Warriors were able to neutralize the Trail Blazers’ perimeter attack of Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant, they will face a different threat from the Jazz. Utah forward Lauri Markkanen picked up where he left off in the 2023-2024 season by dropping 35 points and nine rebounds against the Grizzlies. Center Walker Kessler complemented him with a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double.
The size of the Jazz frontcourt could pose a threat to Golden State, who currently starts 6-foot-6 Draymond Green at center. Jonathan Kuminga adds size from the power forward position but has been a notorious liability on the defensive end.
After the game on Oct. 25, the Warriors will return to San Francisco for their home opener against the Los Angeles Clippers on Oct. 27.
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