Every NBA rookie hears the cautionary tales, the stories about how even Hall of Fame-bound stars such as Dirk Nowitzki and Kobe Bryant struggled mightily during their initial NBA seasons. But few first-year players necessarily buy into the idea that it will happen to them.
For New Orleans lottery pick Buddy Hield, however, reality came quickly over the first five weeks of the 2016-17 regular season. The No. 6 overall draftee shot a frustrating 23.7 percent from three-point range in October and November, a far cry from his 45.7 accuracy rate as a decorated senior at the University of Oklahoma.