Buddy Hield's heartfelt comments a nod to Warriors' culture

It's rather pitiful when an in-their-prime athlete loses "love" for their sport for reasons only they can speak to.

And it's just as inspiring when they regain that love.

Warriors guard Buddy Hield is currently enjoying such a turnaround.

Hield, 31, admittedly lost all passion for basketball in his eighth season in the NBA which saw him play 52 games for the Pacers and 32 for the 76ers.

By the second half of his Sixers stint, he was nearly out of the rotation and averaged only 12.7 minutes during four playoff games versus the Knicks.

Pigeonholed as "a streaky shooter who can't play defense," Hield had lost his value around the league despite making the second-most threes in the NBA since his rookie season in 2016-17.

As such, Hield didn't attract many suitors gunning for him in free agency.

He ultimately signed a four-year contract with the Warriors with only two years of guaranteed money.

Suffice it to say that both Hield and the Warriors did well taking a chance on each other.

The sharpshooter is averaging his most points (14.5) and three-pointers made (3.3) since the 2022-23 season while shooting a career-high 43.1% from three-point range.

After making seven threes in the Warriors' 114-106 win over the Timberwolves on Sunday, Hield talked about regaining his joy of basketball after donning a Warriors jersey.

"Last year I didn't have that love [for basketball]" Fresh off a 7 3PT performance, @buddyhield tells @ThisIsUD how his time in Golden State has helped to rejuvenate his play and passion for the game pic.twitter.com/Xh2Nz3ihgr Hield's tale is a nod to the culture the Warriors have built since the Mark Jackson era leading into the Steve Kerr era.

There have been countless cases of players such as Leandro Barbosa, Matt Barnes, JaVale McGee, Nick Young, Zaza Pachulia and Otto Porter Jr.

who were, at one point or another, nearly out of the league before reviving their careers in Golden State.

The Warriors' strength-in-numbers approach made possible due to Stephen Curry's playing style has consistently helped role players find niche roles and thrive in them.

Hield is the latest, but he won't be the last beneficiary..

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