Ayton, Suns set for the playoffs; Hield breaks single-season three-point mark

From the way the season was headed, one got the feeling that it might be joy for one Bahamian superstar player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and sorrow for another leading into the playoffs.

That feeling came to fruition this past weekend as DeAndre Ayton and the Phoenix Suns ended an 11-year playoff drought and secured the number two seed in the Western Conference of the playoffs while Chavano “Buddy” Hield and the Sacramento Kings faltered again, extending their own playoff drought which has now reached 15 seasons – longest in the NBA.

For the Suns, Ayton sat out the final three games of the regular season with left knee soreness but is expected to be ready for the playoffs which get underway on Saturday. As mentioned, they are seeded second and will face the winner of Wednesday’s play-in game between the Los Angeles Lakes and the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs.

Ayton, 22, finished the season averaging 14.4 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.2 blocks per game. He shot a career-high 62.6 percent from the field and 76.9 percent from the free throw line. Ayton started all 69 games he played this season, and averaged 30.7 minutes per contest. The three games he missed at the end of the season was the only time he sat out all season.

The former number one overall draft pick in 2018 averaged a double-double for the third consecutive year in the NBA. The three-year center was a rock of consistency in the middle of the Suns’ lineup this year, helping to lead them to a 51-21 overall win/loss record in a shortened season – their first 50-win season in 11 years.

Hield and the Kings weren’t so fortunate, settling for a 31-41 record – good enough for just 12th in the west. They missed the NBA’s play-in games by two games in the west.

It was another disappointing season for the Kings, but individually, Hield experienced some success as he played a career-high in minutes, broke his own single-season franchise record in made three-pointers, and finished just four three-pointers shy of Peja Stojaković career franchise record of 1,070 made three-pointers.

Hield, 28, broke his own single-season mark of 278 made three-pointers just three minutes and 20 seconds into the Kings’ penultimate game of the season against the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night at the FedExForum in Memphis, Tennessee. He knocked in two more three-pointers that night to raise his total to 281 made three-pointers, and then added another three-pointer in the season finale on Sunday to carry the single-season mark to 282. He finished second behind the Warriors’ Stephen Curry who eclipsed the 300-made three-pointer plateau for the third time in his career. Curry, widely regarded as the best shooter of all-time, finished with 337 made three-pointers in just 63 games. The Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard finished third with 275 made three-pointers this season. 

Going to Sunday’s game against the Utah Jazz, Hield needed five three-pointers to tie Stojaković’s career franchise mark of 1,070 made three-pointers. However, he had a horrendous shooting night from distance, connecting on just one of seven attempts. Hield finished with 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the floor in 31 minutes of play, and the Kings were drubbed 121-99 by the Utah Jazz at home, inside the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California, as the Jazz locked down the number one seed in the playoffs.

For the season, Hield averaged 16.6 points, 4.7 

rebounds and a career-high 3.6 assists per game. He shot a career-low 40.6 percent from the field and matched a career-low with a 39.1 percent clip from distance. However, Hield showed that he is still one of the more lethal shooters in the league. He became the fastest player to reach 1,000 made three-pointers this season, accomplishing that feat in the 350th game of his career against the Charlotte Hornets at the end of February. The fifth-year guard was 8-for-15 from three-point range in that game, finishing with 30 points in a 127-126 loss for the Kings. Curry was the previous fastest to reach 1,000 made three-pointers, accomplishing the feat in 369 games in January of 2015 during his sixth season.

Hield started all 71 games he played for the Kings in the 2020-2021 season, missing just one game for an undisclosed illness. Up to that point, Hield had the second-longest active games streak in the NBA, suiting up for 272 straight games over almost four seasons.

The Bahamian professional basketball player was a hot topic in trade rumors prior to the start of the season, but he never complained as he went out there every night and turned in another strong season. Coming off a season in which he dropped in nearly 20 points per game for the second straight season for the Kings, Hield saw his scoring average drop this season, but the sharp shooting two-guard remains one of the more lethal shooters in the league and is looking to continue to improve.

Hield won the NBA’s Mountain Dew Three-Point Competition in 2020 in dramatic fashion, but opted out of defending that title over the all-star weekend this year due to coronavirus concerns and a desire to spend some time with loved ones during the break.

With his 282 made three-pointers this season, Hield is now 84th on the all-time list with 1,155 career made three-pointers. Another five years like his first five years in the league, and he will be in the top 10 in NBA history.

The post Ayton, Suns set for the playoffs; Hield breaks single-season three-point mark appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

source https://thenassauguardian.com/ayton-suns-set-for-the-playoffs-hield-breaks-single-season-three-point-mark/