The clearest sign that the Golden State Warriors’ chemistry is operating at an all-time high is Buddy Hield’s role as the team punching bag.
For Monday’s Game 4 playoff matchup against the Houston Rockets, Hield was a team-high plus-17 on the floor, scoring 15 points and even nabbing a pair of steals as he was thrust into the starting role to allow Jimmy Butler, recovering from a pelvic contusion, to come off the bench. To thank Hield for stepping up, head coach Steve Kerr and the aforementioned Butler viciously roasted him.
“Hey fellas, I’m going to utter some words that have never been spoken before by anybody on Earth: Buddy Hield, you set the tone defensively,” Kerr said in the locker room after the 109-106 win, to a big cheer from the rest of the team.