It started as a meme, but now, it feels so surreal. The Buddy Hield Cycle, the paradox of the former 3-point contest champion’s rollercoaster career, has to be looked into and fans should expect that the imaginary cycle is going full swing again this season–and may work well for the Golden State Warriors in the postseason.
The Buddy Hield Cycle Explained
Inconsistency is the word to describe Hield’s night in and night out performances with each team he’s been on. The Buddy Hield Cycle, as coined by some critics, refers to the a mysterious trajectory where Hield would be traded to a new team, plays like he’s near as good as Steph Curry in terms of shooting, then just slowly fades out–drops efficiency, points, and plays lackluster defense–and the fans start wondering why he’s even on the team. The cycle continues when he gets traded again for the nth time.
The narrative of his inconsistency is worsened by how good he can be when Hield is on fire and how he’s also almost unplayable like the last guy on the bench when he goes ice cold.
The most recent example of this so-called cycle is Hield’s first season as a Warrior. In his first month in the Bay, Hield was looking like an All-Star, averaging a career-high 21.2 points per game while shooting an outstanding 50% from three-point line throughout October 2024. However, after a hot start, it just slowly went downhill from there.
Remember when the Dubs’ fans called him the “Splash Buddy”?
| October 2024 | 21.2 PPG, 50% 3P-FG |
| November 2024 | 13.2 PPG, 41.4% 3P-FG |
| December 2024 | 8.5 PPG, 30.5% 3P-FG |
| January 2025 | 10.9 PPG, 31.5% 3P-FG |
| February 2025 | 10.5 PPG, 37.7% 3P-FG |
| March 2025 | 10.7 PPG, 37.9% 3P-FG |
But in the 2025 playoffs, Hield slightly goes off and averaged 12.5 points per game while shooting 42.9% from deep, including a 33-point outburst against the Houston Rockets in game 7 of the first round
This season, we’re probably seeing the lowest of the low of the cycle.
Hield, in the first month of the Warriors’ 2025-2026 campaign, is averaging a career-low 6.9 PPG and 30.1% from three–the worst in his decade-long career in the NBA, even worse than his rookie year.
The truth is, he probably won’t be utilized as a fifth or let alone the fourth option with Jimmy Butler, Jonathan Kuminga, and Brandin Podziemski on the floor with Curry and Green. On the other hand, if the cycle is true and he takes it up a notch, we might see him put up double digits in scoring again. After all, he’s a career 40% shooter; streaky but still scary.
The silver lining here, however, Buddy Hield is literally a great buddy, a wonderful teammate, and a good locker room presence; at least that’s what Draymond Green and some of his teammates are calling him. To top it all off, the 32-year-old veteran played all 82 games last season and hasn’t missed more than 10 games each season he’s played. And like they always say, availability is the best ability.
