Home|Sports|Hield sets franchise record for made three-pointersSports

Simba FrenchSend an emailFebruary 17, 2023 154 3 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Bahamian sharpshooter with the Indiana Pacers Chavano ‘Buddy’ Hield hit another milestone this week as he surpassed Pacers’ legend Reggie Miller, setting a single-season franchise record for most three-pointers in a season. Hield hit his 230th three-pointer of the season on Wednesday, and the Pacers still have 22 games remaining in the 2022-2023 National Basketball Association (NBA) season.

Hield was a huge part in his team’s 117-113 comeback victory over their divisional rival the Chicago Bulls, on Wednesday. He finished with 27 points. The milestone came the week before he represents the Pacers in the NBA’s Three-Point competition over its all-star weekend where he will be going after his second title. He won his first one during the 2020 all-star weekend, beating Phoenix Suns’ guard Devin Booker in the final.

The Grand Bahama native accomplished this most recent three-point milestone just 60 games into the season, surpassing the 229 made three-point shots Miller had in the 1996-1997 season. He is currently shooting 42.6 percent from deep this season.

“It’s a blessing,” Hield said. “It’s a new NBA. We shoot three-pointers and we shoot them at a high level. One thing I can say is that I’m not just getting up three-pointers. I’m shooting them at a high clip. Passing a legend, a great, Reggie (Miller) at Indiana shows a testament to my hard work, dedication to the game and my teammates, finding me in the right open spots. People say, ‘yeah, I can’t do it without my teammates,’ but my teammates find me a lot.”

This is the second time that Hield has set a franchise record for most three-pointers in a season. He did it when he played for the Sacramento Kings during the 2020-2021 season, totaling 282 made treys that season to pass Peja Stojaković. Hield sits as number 15 on the Pacers all-time list in made three-pointers with 315, as he has been with that franchise for just over a season. Miller leads the list with 2,560 made treys.

Pacers’ Head Coach Rick Carlisle said he is proud of the Bahamian’s accomplishment.

“‘Buddy’ (Hield) is going to go down as a historically a great three-point shooter in this league,” Carlisle said. “Passing Reggie Miller for the single-season mark with 22 games to go is a strong statement.”

In the game against the Bulls, Hield closed it out with two free throws with 7.1 seconds left, helping the Pacers snap a five-game losing streak heading into the all-star break. They now sport a 26-34 win/loss record.

Hield finished the game shooting 8-for-12 from the field, including 6-for-10 from deep – all six in the second half. He also had four rebounds, a steal and an assist in 28 minutes on the floor.

The Bulls went up 39-15, and the Pacers roared back, eventually pulling to within four, 86-82, heading into the fourth quarter. They outscored the Bulls 35-27 in the fourth to get the victory.

Hield is averaging 3.8 made three-pointers per game and is on pace to eclipse his own single-season record in made three-pointers which is 282. If he continues making three-pointers at a high clip, he will likely go over the 300-made three-pointers mark. If he does that, he will join only two other players in NBA history to do it – the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry and the Philadelphia 76ers’ James Harden. Curry did it four times and Harden did it once.

Hield’s 230 made three-point shots leads the league heading into the all-star break with the festivities set for Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. His closest competitor is Portland Trail Blazers’ guard Anfernee Simons who has 196 and he is followed by Warriors’ guard Klay Thompson with 194.

In the 2023 Starry NBA Three-Point Contest, set for this Saturday, Hield will be going up against his teammate Tyrese Haliburton, the Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro, the Sacramento Kings’ Kevin Huerter, the Blazers’ Damian Lillard, the Utah Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen, the New York Knicks’ Julius Randle and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.