NBA Draft Talk: Buddy Hield or Jamal Murray?

Who’s the better NBA prospect, Buddy Hield or Jamal Murray?

One of the burning questions leading up to the NBA Draft this summer is who is the better prospect, Buddy Hield of Oklahoma or Jamal Murray of Kentucky? The last we saw of Buddy Hield was him getting shut down by the Villanova Wildcats in the Sooners 44-point loss in the Final Four. Jamal Murray had a solid, but uneventful, ending to his college career when Kentucky fell to the Indiana Hoosiers in the Round of 32.

There was no question that both players would be high draft picks come June, however, with the draft approaching, the debate about these two keeps getting more intense. They’re constantly ranked next to each other in mock drafts and on draft rankings, however, until the Draft Lottery and workouts take place, we won’t know which teams prefer which shooting guard.

The Boston Celtics may be deciding between the two sharpshooters as the Brooklyn Nets‘ lottery pick should fall in their draft range and Boston is need of a shooter.

The top shooting guard in this draft is Brandon Ingram out of Duke, although, not many teams would be upset to land either Hield or Murray. Both have great potential and should last long in the NBA, but which one is the better NBA prospect?

Buddy Hield played four seasons at Oklahoma but only gained the hype around him this past season. Yes, he was named the Big 12 Player of the Year last season but no one would have thought of Hield as a potential lottery pick last year, especially not debating about him at number three. He broke onto the stage this season and was named the Wooden Award Winner, along with the Big 12 Player of the Year again.

Hield captivated the audience like very few players are able to do. Ben Simmons was able to do it at the beginning of the season as everyone oohed and aahed at his talent, but that spotlight quickly moved to Hield. He was the college version of Steph Curry during his senior season, high praise but well-deserved. He only failed to score in double-digits once during his senior year – the last game of the regular season versus West Virginia – and finished second in the nation in points per game (25 PPG).

His most impressive performance was during Oklahoma’s three overtime loss to Kansas early in the season. Hield went off for 46 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in 54 minutes against the top team in the nation. What was most impressive during that game was his outside shot. It was well-known that Hield could shoot the ball as well as anyone in college, however, he went 8-of-15 from behind the arc on national television.

Every time the Sooners needed a spark, Hield was there. The crazy thing was Hield never seemed to get tired. He was able play tough defense on one end and then knock down a big three on the other end after already playing 50 minutes.

Just like a true senior, he also showed great poise as he played the end of the game with four fouls. He didn’t reach or commit any dumb fouls, instead, he kept playing his game and nearly stole one in Allen Fieldhouse.

Now Hield is entering the 2016 NBA Draft heralded as being the best pure shooter in the draft (45.7 three-point percentage), along with the ability to drive and be an effective slasher like he was during his first three seasons at Oklahoma. Along with his scoring ability, Hield is an above-average rebounder for a guard and is a better defender than Jamal Murray. That doesn’t mean people should sleep on the freshman out of Kentucky.

Jamal Murray entered last season as one of the top high school recruits in the nation. He struggled out of the gates but was a prime reason Kentucky had so much hype surrounding them entering the tournament. Tyler Ulis played a big role for Kentucky, but they wouldn’t have done so well in the SEC if it wasn’t for Murray.

Jamal Murray is still developing as a player, while you know what you’re going to get from Hield. It’s not unreasonable for a team to assume a 19-year-old, who won’t turn 20 until February, has more left to show than a 22-year-old senior who’s played in a Power 5 conference for the past four seasons and just had his breakout season.

Just like Buddy Hield, Murray is a shooter. Because of the great season Hield is coming off of, Murray doesn’t get the respect for his outside shot as he deserves. He was still a 40.7 three-point shooter as a freshman – Hield’s only season above 40 percent was his senior year. Murray also averaged 5.2 rebounds per game and can slash and drive to the hoop, just like Hield.

Murray didn’t have any games that took the nation by storm, however, his shot always seemed impressive. Although, just like any freshman, he had off-nights. He’s a volume scorer and isn’t afraid to take shots if his team relies on his offense like Kentucky did last season. In his second collegiate game, Murray shot 1-of-10 from behind the arc against NJIT and was 1-of-7 against Arkansas later in the year. He still always managed to score, whether it be forcing himself inside or getting fouled, and finished the season with only one game below double-digit points.

He also had nights when he couldn’t miss – seven games with at least five made threes. If you look at top prospects Brandon Ingram and Ben Simmons, even they had off-nights. For experts who prefer Hield over Murray because of inconsistency, Murray is also three-years younger and Hield had many off-nights as a young guard.

Buddy Hield put together one of the greatest shooting seasons college basketball has ever seen, however, both showed the ability to shoot from outside and from NBA range. I think the criticism that Murray takes for being inconsistent as a freshman is unfair as most freshman are. The criticism Buddy Hield receives for his height is looked at too much because Murray is also 6’4″ and didn’t show much as a point guard.

It could have been due to Kentucky having one of the best point guards in the nation but 2.3 turnovers per game in a limited ball-handling role is not preferred. Besides, he is seen as a shooting guard prospect to most NBA teams and his handles are better than Hield’s.

More from Hardwood Houdini

The Boston Celtics need a pure shooter and someone who can score in a half-court setting, and both of these guys fit the bill. Personally, I prefer Jamal Murray because he was one of the most productive scorers in the nation last season, despite being a true freshman. I also think his inside game will transfer better to the NBA and he put up similar rebounding and assist numbers as Hield.

Despite thinking Murray is the better prospect, Buddy Hield would be the right pick for Boston. He provides better defense for a defensive-minded team and he’s more NBA ready. Jamal Murray will be able to contribute to a NBA team right away as well, however, Hield is a more polished shooter after spending four seasons at Oklahoma. The Celtics run a fast enough offense where he’ll be able to get open threes in transition – Hield is a great transition shooter – and can run off screens for open shots.

Next: Top 5 Point Guards in the NBA Draft

There’s no way to decipher which shooting guard will have a better career; it depends on the team. Murray should be better in the long run but Hield will have an instant impact and should have a productive career as well.

Home/Celtics News