The Lakers have a history of outgoing, uber-successful guards. Jerry West is the logo, Earvin Johnson is almost exclusively is acknowledged as Magic, Kobe is..well..Kobe, and now the Lakers are looking to D’Angelo Russell and the ice in his veins to spearhead their youth movement. When June 23rd comes and goes, will the Lakers have another confident guard on the roster?
Not with the second overall pick, at least. The Lakers will likely address their need on the wing by selecting Duke’s Brandon Ingram, but that hasn’t stopped them from doing their due-diligence on the Draft’s other talent.
Today, the Lakers worked out Chavano Rainier Hield, or as he’s slightly better known, Buddy. This was Hield’s second workout with the team, but it was the first private session with Los Angeles. Hield is widely regarded as the draft’s best shooter, but his age and defensive issues are the reason he likely won’t go in the top-three selections.
Hield shot the ball well to the standards of many but was unsatisfied with his performance, so the former Sooner requested a second catch-and-shoot drill. Here’s a clip of the portion of Hield’s workout that was available to the media, captured by L.A. Daily News’ Mark Medina.
Back to the earlier theme of confidence, Hield was certainly not lacking it when talking to the media. Throughout his session with the media, Hield was full of interesting quotes, the following of which is transcribed from Lakers.com.
When asked about whether the Lakers should take him with the second overall pick, Hield answered with this:
Yeah, I’m just what the franchise needs. The Lakers are losing Kobe and need a scorer. Why not?
Shoot. Your. Shot.
Hield had this to say about the Lakers’ young core:
I think they’re great. They’re good stars right now. They’ve been under Kobe Bryant and all the veteran people. I know if you come to the Lakers organization, they expect you to win. So a lot of pressure’s on those guys. But those guys love to play and they love to play, so if they add me it would be a fun group to add in. I come with a lot of character, energy, scoring and I’m a leader at heart. No matter if I’m older than those guys or they’ve been in the league longer than me, I come in and expect to lead. That’s always been my mentality when I was younger.
What a nice thing to say about guys he won’t end up playing with!
Hield continued to express his Laker love throughout the media session, hitting points about training with Kobe, Bahamian Lakers, and the pre-draft workout process. Hield was “honored” to workout for the Lakers, even with the near certainty they won’t select him. No matter how many games Los Angeles loses, the allure of putting on purple and gold never seems to fade.
Buddy Hield also worked out for the Pelicans, Timberwolves, and Suns; teams that Hield will be available for after the Lakers pick Brandon Ingram.
*All quotes are from Lakers.com
