: Yahoo Sports - The Latest Updates and Insights

Kerr shares Steph's thoughts on Hield as potential teammate for Warriors was first seen on NBC Sports Bay Area

Steph Curry has played a lot of basketball and has been around a lot of greats throughout his 16-year NBA career, but there’s something that sticks out about one of his current Warriors teammates.

Buddy Hield, whom Golden State acquired this past offseason in a six-team trade that sent Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks, has brought an infectious joy to the Warriors’ locker room. For that reason alone, he quickly has become one of Curry’s favorite teammates.

“Steph told me he’s one of his favorite teammates of all time. Buddy is,” Kerr revealed on 95.7 The Game’s “Willard & Dibs.” “Just the joy that he brings, the laughter, the upbeat nature regardless of how things are going, whether he’s making shots or missing shots, he’s always in a good mood. And that stuff is crucial in a long season.

“In the locker room, you need guys like that. So everybody loves Buddy. He’s just a wonderful, wonderful person.”

Hield began his tenure with the Warriors on a hot start, averaging 17.7 points on 49.4-percent shooting from the field and 46.9 percent from 3-point range in 25 minutes through the team’s first 12 games, in which they posted a 10-2 record.

But his shooting since has cooled down drastically, averaging 10.1 points on 39.1-percent shooting from the field and 33.6 percent from long range in 23 minutes in the 50 games after that impressive start.

While his numbers have changed, his high-energy attitude hasn’t.

And that was crucial for the Warriors, especially when they reached what felt like rock bottom and during a time when a deep playoff run felt nowhere near their vantage point.

The Warriors, however, made a blockbuster move at the NBA trade deadline by acquiring Jimmy Butler, and the new-look Warriors since have gone 9-2 and leaped into the Western Conference’s No. 6 playoff seed.

While a player’s impact on the court comes first, their influence off of it is just as critical for a team with championship aspirations. That is what Hield has brought to the Bay so far, and his teammates are loving it.

Download and follow the Dubs Talk Podcast