At the trade deadline, the key move the Philadelphia 76ers made was acquiring Buddy Hield from the Indiana Pacers. Through his first handful of games, the veteran guard has made an impact in one key area.

During his time in the NBA, Hield has been one of the NBA’s top high-volume three-point shooters. This is among the main reasons why the Sixers targeted him, as he is the perfect complement to Joel Embiid. While the reigning MVP is still out of action, Hield is showing how impactful he can be from beyond the arc.

Since joining the Sixers, Hield is shooting a stellar 45.5% from beyond the arc on over nine attempts per game. Through his first six games, he has connected on at least three triples in every matchup.

In Friday night’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers, Hield notched 13 points on 3-for-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Since his debut on February 9th against the Atlanta Hawks, he has made 25 shots from beyond the arc. That is the second-most in the NBA in that stretch. The only player to hit more threes is Steph Curry with 33.

When the Sixers acquired Hield, many agreed it could end up being one of the top acquisitions from this year’s deadline. The veteran guard has lived up to these expectations as he has thrived with his new team. As a member of the Sixers, Hield is averaging 19.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 6.2 APG.

This offseason, Hield is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Seeing how well he’s performed with the team thus far, the Sixers might be heavily inclined to retain him moving forward.

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76ers De’Anthony Melton Growing More Comfortable Since Returning

Coming out the All-Star break, the Philadelphia 76ers have received some much-needed reinforcements. Among those to return to the lineup recently is De’Anthony Melton.

All of this season, Melton has started alongside Tyrese Maxey in the backcourt. However, following the addition of Buddy Hield, Nick Nurse now has him in a bench role. Just a few games into his return, the veteran guard’s feel for the game is coming back.

On Sunday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, Melton came alive off the bench. In 18 minutes off the bench, he finished with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Melton also had a strong shooting night, going 5-for-12 from the field and 4-for-8 from beyond the arc.

Following this strong performance, Melton talked about where he’s at from a comfort standpoint. He felt much better on Sunday compared to the previous game conditioning-wise, and said it allowed him to do more on the floor.

Seeing that Hield remained in the starting lineup, it’s likely Nick Nurse will continue to bring Melton off the bench moving forward.

“I think the biggest thing for me was just the conditioning part. I felt way more in shape this game, so it just allowed me to do way more on the court. So, I just got to keep working through it and keep getting better,” Melton said postgame.

Melton made his return to action earlier this week against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It had been in first time in the lineup since January 12th as he dealt with a back injury. In that game, he notched seven points and one rebound in 16 minutes.