Hield’s X-factor status was boosted by the Warriors’ win over the Pistons originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After playing winning basketball in the first 42 minutes and making a spectacular attempt to lose in the final six minutes, the Warriors escaped with a win on Thursday night that provides some clarity about the ceiling of their current roster.
It’s not Stephen Curry or Draymond Green or Andrew Wiggins, it’s . . . Buddy Hield.

Curry, Green and Wiggins have Golden State history. We saw their blankets. With Hield it slowly becomes clear.

If Hield is productive on offense, the Warriors can move up.

If he’s unproductive on offense, they need Curry and Green and a few others to save them from ruin.

Hield made an emphatic positive impression at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, scoring a team-high 19 points as the Warriors cruised to a 107-104 victory over the Pistons that moved Golden State back above .500 at 19-18.

Hield wasn’t alone in his performance. Golden State’s lengthy injury report required input from others, and no one was bigger than rarely used forward Gui Santos, who came off the bench with a spark and created opportunities for himself and his teammates. Trayce Jackson-Davis (14 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, team-high plus 16) and Dennis Schröder (13 points, seven assists, plus 7) also had solid games.

But Hield’s 3-point shooting tends to have a profound impact on the team’s collective vitality. His 7 of 15 shooting from the field was welcome, but his 5 of 11 shooting from long range was the straw that broke Golden State’s offense on a night when Curry (17 points, 5 of 21 from the field, including 2 from 14 from deep) couldn’t.

“Mate, he was pushing,” coach Steve Kerr told reporters in Detroit. “He’s such a great teammate and he cares so much. Everyone was so happy to see him play like that and contribute. It was fun to see him with his smile, taking shots and feeling good about everything.”

Hield’s hot start to his first season with the Warriors was an integral part of their great first month. In the first 15 games, he averaged 16.2 points while shooting 47.3 percent from the field, including 44.2 percent from deep, as the team went 12-3.
When Hield entered an extended slump, averaging 9.2 points on 37.8/33.3 shooting percentage over the next 21 games, the Warriors were 6-15.

The hard truth is that there will be more games where Curry needs a pickup. Other games where Jonathan Kuminga, who watched from the bench, will be unavailable. More nights when Andrew Wiggins — who is in the Bay Area for an expected addition to his family — is off the roster or ineffective.

Hield’s performance is the closest thing the Warriors have to an individual performance barometer. They are undefeated (9-0) when he scores at least 18 points and 10-18 when he doesn’t reach that score. Getting 18 points is not a magical number in itself. It doesn’t guarantee anything. But it illustrates Hield’s importance.

Curry’s rating is more of a constant. We’ve seen enough games this season to realize he can be great, but it won’t always be enough to win the Warriors. Curry crossed the X-Factor threshold many years ago. Hield has been that way for most of his eight-year career and certainly is that way for the Warriors.

They signed him last summer to fill the points gap left by the departure of Klay Thompson, who had become an X-factor in his own right. If Hield is on Golden State’s roster, that will be his primary job.

Golden State’s defense was more good than bad, but the opposite was true on offense – mostly because Buddy was the opposite.

After two staggeringly poor performances that ended in defeat, this was a feel-good win for the Warriors. Their 18 points dwindled to three, but they had enough grit and effort to overcome a tough night against Curry.

“It’s wonderful to see our guys, especially on a night where Steph didn’t shoot well, create that kind of offense or offensive flow and gain momentum to tie the game back and forth,” Kerr said.

Understand, Hield, like Thompson, is a scorer. He will have slow games and have brilliant performances. If this is the Warriors’ roster, they need to accept this and hope the balance shifts.

Clarity is one thing, comfort is quite another.

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