METAIRIE, La. (AP) " When Buddy Hield flew into south Louisiana on Friday to begin his NBA career, among the first things he noticed was how hot it was " and he had no complaints.
"As soon as I came off the plane, it felt hot, it reminded me of home," said Hield, who grew up in the Bahamas. "It's the same feeling, a feeling I'm used to."
The 6-foot-4 Hield also got used to putting up a lot of shots from the perimeter " and making them " when he was leading Oklahoma to the NCAA Final Four last season. He'll be expected do that and more as a pro with the Pelicans, who made Hield the NBA's sixth overall draft pick Thursday night.
"What everybody's trying to do is put him in this label as just a shooter and he's much more than that," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said, emphasizing what he saw as the shooting guard's potential to be a strong defender. "He wants to be a complete player."
Hield, who averaged 25 points last season and made about 46 percent of his 3-pointers, said he figured he'd be a good fit in New Orleans because even the threat of his outside shot would create more space for All-Star forward Anthony Davis on the offensive end. Hield also likes Gentry's up-tempo system that yields a lot of shot attempts during the course of a game. And Hield said he became even more comfortable with the idea of playing for the Pelicans after working out for the club in southern California before the draft.