Hield ready to win games with Kings

After speculations and trade rumors this past offseason, Bahamian sharp-shooting guard Chavano “Buddy” Hield is returning to the Sacramento Kings and appears ready for the 2020-2021 season. He reported to camp this week and said he is looking forward to the season and helping the Kings end the longest playoff drought in the National Basketball Association (NBA) – one that stretches 14 seasons.

Hield addressed the media at his team’s pre-training camp media day.

“I’m here to play basketball, win games – that’s my main focus, you know, trying to turn things around,” Hield said. “That’s all I’ve been focused on, trying to win games, so everything will come with it that comes with it, but I’m just locked in on that.”

Head Coach for the Kings Luke Walton, in his address to the media, said Hield will have to earn his starting job back. Hield said that he is a competitor and is looking forward to the challenge.

“To be honest with you, I always love competing and it doesn’t matter. That’s not my job. I don’t control that. The head coach controls that. They brought me here to play basketball and win basketball games, so whatever they need me for, I’m going to do it and try to compete at the highest (level) I can,” said Hield.

Back in January, Hield was 

relegated to the bench in favor of Bogdan Bogdanovic. However, Bogdanovic signed with the Atlanta Hawks in the offseason. Hield said he is ready to earn the starting spot back.

“Everything in life, we all have to earn. You have to earn your job. There’s nothing free in this world,” Hield said. “I came from The Bahamas to play in the NBA. That was my dream. I beat those odds, so I’m a fighter. I’m going to compete for whatever is supposed to be mine, and if it’s not mine, it won’t be. So, this is fun for me. I just love competing.”

Hield said he has no regrets with everything that transpired last season including his contract demands and reports of Walton and him not communicating.

“I have no regrets,” Hield said. “There’s nothing to be worked on. I never had a problem with anybody here, so everything that was being heard, it was not put out by me. I love everybody here in this franchise and this organization, so I don’t regret anything I said. I’m going to keep it 100.”

The Grand Bahamian is entering the first year of his new four-year, $86 million contract extension. He started 44 out of a possible 72 games last season, and was the team’s second leading scorer with 19.2 points per contest. He was able to finish with 4.6 rebounds and three assists per game in a little over 30 minutes of play per game. The fourth-year guard shot 42.9 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from distance. He hit 271 three-pointers in a shortened season and was on pace to surpass the franchise record of 278 three-pointers that he set in 2019 before COVID-19 forced a stoppage in play.

Hield and the Kings open their 2020-2021 season against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, December 23 at 9 p.m. The Kings will be playing home at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.

Preseason games begin for them tonight with a road game against the Portland Trail Blazers. That game will tip off at 10:30 p.m. at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, and will be aired on ESPN.

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