Sixers guard finally makes playoffs after eight seasons

Philadelphia 76ers guard Buddy Hield.

Only three players in NBA history had played more games than Buddy Hield without reaching the playoffs. After eight seasons, he’s finally in.

Hield hadn’t reached the playoffs in his eight-year career before his 76ers defeated the Miami Heat to grab the No. 7 seed Wednesday. His seven point and six assists were crucial, especially providing shooting that helped break Miami’s zone defense.

After stops in New Orleans, Sacramento and Indiana, a deadline trade to Philadelphia finally got the sharpshooting 31-year-old to the first round.

Tom Van Arsdale played 929 games over 12 seasons and never made the playoffs, the most in NBA history. He was a good player, too, making the All-Star team three years in a row from 1970-72 and scoring over 14,000 points. What must have stung is that his identical twin brother, Dick Van Arsdale, made the playoffs four times, including in his second season.

Not only did Hield play an unusually large number of games in his career before reaching the playoffs, he played an unusually large number just this season. Because the Pacers’ schedule was a little more front-loaded, Hield played 84 regular-season games, the most in 20 years.

While the games don’t count officially, Hield also played in the in-season tournament title game with Indiana, plus the play-in game with the Sixers. That’s 86 games, which is the third-most in NBA history.

He’s only missed six games in his entire career, so Hield should be the poster boy for the NBA’s new emphasis on player availability. Hield doesn’t load manage, but he finally managed to get himself to the playoffs.

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