An NBA player participating in a full 82-game slate is a rarity in today’s game. Injuries combined with load management make it a near anomaly to see anyone play in every one of his team’s regular season games, and the league has gone as far as taking action against the practice of resting.
Buddy Hield Played In 82 Games This NBA Season
Buddy Hield is now the first NBA player with an 84-game season in 19 years 🤯
(via @NoahLevick) pic.twitter.com/4Dz1xUdo4W
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) April 14, 2024
But there was a player this year who not only hit the 82-game threshold, but was the first to play in 84 games in the last 19 years.
Buddy Hield started off the season as a member of the Indiana Pacers. He played in 52 of the team’s first 53 games, sitting out only the final one as the team explored trade options for the 30-year-old. He was subsequently dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers, who had 31 games remaining on their schedule. Hield played in each and every one of those, as well, giving him 84 total on the season.
He becomes the first NBA player in 19 years to achieve such a feat. During the 2004-05 season, Casey Jacobsen averaged 6.5 points per game while playing for the Suns and (then New Orleans) Hornets, and was able to play in 84 games thanks to his mid-season trade and quick insertion into the Hornets’ lineup. He would go on to play in Spain and Germany over the next two years.
76ers Entering Play-In As Hottest Team In The League
regular season: end scene. 🎬 @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/cw4AXhQRD0
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 14, 2024
Hield’s addition played a key part in keeping Philadelphia afloat in the Eastern Conference during Joel Embiid’s absence. They will enter the postseason as the hottest team in the NBA, having won 8 straight games, but will have to win a Play-In game against the Miami Heat in order to lock down the 7th seed. The two sides split the regular season series 2-2.
No one aside from Tyrese Maxey makes more three pointers per game for Philadelphia than Buddy Hield. His 12 points per are aided by his average of 2.5 makes from long range, which he made at a 38.8% clip during the final 31 games of the regular season. He averages 26 minutes a contest.
The Play-In game for the 76ers against the Heat will take place on Tuesday night.
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