Nick Nurse Cites Patience for 76ers Deadline Acquisition

Sixers coach wants to see Buddy Hield be more patient.

The biggest move the Philadelphia 76ers made at the deadline this year was bringing in Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers. While the veteran sharpshooter came out of the gates red-hot, he's cooled off as of late. 

Over his last seven games, Hield is averaging 11.7 PPG on 37.7% from the field. One positive is that he's still been effective from beyond the arc (39.0% on seven attempts per game). Following his 13-point outing against the Brooklyn Nets Tuesday night, Nick Nurse cited one area of focus for the Sixers guard. 

Nurse feels Hield is rushing things on the floor and wants him to be more patient when searching for scoring opportunities. 

“I thought he got a little impatient and was chasing the ball a little bit,” Nurse said. “He looked really anxious to score to me a little bit. But we run a number of plays for him. We’ve got to execute those a little more cleanly and keep trying to find ways to get him going.”

Hield has played in 12 games with the Sixers now, and is averaging 15.4 PPG in that stretch. Given their current injury predicaments, getting him back on track is crucial. 

Along with being without Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey is now on the sidelines. The All-Star guard is dealing with concussion-like symptoms after being kneed in the head. 

Since the moment he arrived in Philly, Hield showed how impactful of a player he can be on this team. With just a few weeks left in the regular season, the Sixers need to make sure their top three-point specialist is trending in the right direction. He has the potential to be one of their biggest X-factors if Embiid is able to suit up again.