To start or not to start

Fri, Sep 15th 2017, 07:55 PM

In less than two weeks, second year player Chavano 'Buddy' Hield will begin his first full training camp with the Sacramento Kings.
Camp begins on Tuesday, September 26, just ahead of the start of the National Basketball Association (NBA) preseason.
Hield was able to put together a solid run to close out last season, increasing his numbers across the board after being traded away from the New Orleans Pelicans in the Demarcus Cousins deal.
Despite his improved performance, it is still not a foregone conclusion that Hield will begin the 2017-18 season as the Kings' starting shooting guard. According to Kings Correspondent Sean Fitzpatrick yesterday, it's expected that veteran guard Garrett Temple will fill the starting role early in the season. However, there were several reports earlier in the summer that projected that Hield would get the start. The conflicting reports could mean the decision is too close to call at the moment and could potentially come down to how both players perform in camp and the preseason.
Sacramento plays its first preseason game at home against the San Antonio Spurs on October 2, then it will travel to San Antonio to take on the Spurs on October 6. They'll also play the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trailblazers, and the Los Angeles Clippers before the preseason concludes on October 13 with a match against the defending champion Golden State Warriors.
In a recent interview, Hield said that he's in a good space with the team and is focused on making a run at the playoffs with this group and bringing some excitement to the city of Sacramento. This offseason, the Kings acquired several key additions in free agency, including George Hill and veteran forwards Zach Randolph and Vince Carter. Sacramento was also able to draft one of the most highly acclaimed prospects in this year's draft, Kentucky's De'Aaron Fox.
"In Sacramento, the fans are great," Hield said. "They treat everyone like family. I always say that it reminds me of a little college town. Adding the veterans was really big. We need it. We couldn't do it by ourselves and management did a great job getting those guys. I think George has missed the playoffs once in his career, Zach is still able to go toe-to-toe with some of the top players in the business, and Vince is going into his 20th season. I don't think I could find someone better to learn from."
In 25 games with the Kings last season, Hield started 18 of them and averaged 15.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He averaged 10.6 points and 3.3 rebounds on the season.

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