Through 44 games of the 2016-17 season, Buddy Hield is averaging 9.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.6 threes in 20.2 minutes of action. Extrapolated to per 36 minute data, the averages look better: 16.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.9 threes. In comparison, Jamal Murray’s numbers are extremely similar: 14.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 threes. So, which player would you prefer if asked today?
There is no escaping the reality that the NBA is a star-driven league. Without “stars”, the odds of winning a championship are small. This is the nature of basketball — the limitation of having just 5 guys, as compared to say American football (where you can have as many as 11 players on the field each time, with the ability to switch whole lineups during possession changes), makes singular talents crucial to a team’s success.