Hoops Nightly
7
Bulls · G · 33
Buddy Hield
vs
2025-26
0
Warriors · G · 33
Gary Payton II
Head to head · 2025-26 regular season · stats.nba.com

Buddy Hield vs Gary Payton II

5-12categories
Hield · Payton II
7
Hield
Bulls
2025-26
Payton II
Warriors
0
51
Games
availability
73
16.1
Minutes
per game
15.6
7.6
Points
per game
7.5
2.3
Rebounds
per game
3.6
1.4
Assists
per game
1.7
1.0
Steals + blocks
per game
1.2
0.9
Turnovers
per game · lower is better
0.8
43.7%
Field goal %
58.3%
34.9%
Three-point %
4.2 vs 1.7 attempts
29.1%
81.1%
Free throw %
65.0%
56.8%
True shooting
TS%
63.2%
19.2%
Usage
USG%
17.7%
12.9%
Assist %
of teammates' baskets
16.4%
6.9%
Rebound %
of available
11.3%
-4.9
Net rating
on court
-2.3
8.5%
PIE
player impact estimate
11.4%
-1.7
Plus-minus
per game
-1.5
Bars show each player's share of the pair's total; the better number is in the club's color (turnovers: fewer is better).

Where the gap is

from the numbers above

Buddy Hield scored more in 2025-26, 0.1 points a game apart (7.6 vs 7.5), on Hield's heavier usage (19.2% vs 17.7%).

Payton II is the more efficient scorer by true shooting, 63.2% to 56.8%; TS% folds threes and free throws into one number, so the gap survives shot-diet differences.

Playmaking goes to Payton II (1.7 vs 1.4 assists), the glass to Payton II (3.6 vs 2.3 rebounds).

Availability is part of the comparison: Payton II played 22 more games (73 vs 51 of 82).

With Payton II on the floor his team outscored opponents by -2.3 per 100 possessions, against -4.9 for Hield; on-court net rating carries the teammates with it, so read it next to PIE.

On the books for 2026-27: Hield $9.7M through 2027-28, Payton II $2.4M through 2026-27. Whether either fits a trade is a Trade Machine question, not a stat one.

Splits

2025-26 · from the game logs
Hield
2025-26
Payton II
25-26
Record when playing
33-40
8.0
Points at home
7.9
7.3
Points on the road
7.1
7.5
Points in wins
8.0
7.8
Points in losses
7.1
31
Season high
19
1
30-point games
0
0
Double-doubles
2

Last games & contracts

test a trade in the Trade Machine →
Hield · last 5
Fri, Oct 16 vs MIN2 pts · 0 reb · 1 ast
Wed, Oct 14 at MIL3 pts · 1 reb · 3 ast
Sun, Oct 11 at DEN15 pts · 3 reb · 1 ast
Fri, Oct 9 vs MEM5 pts · 2 reb · 2 ast
Wed, Oct 7 vs PHX8 pts · 2 reb · 3 ast
Payton II · last 5
Fri, Oct 16 vs POR8 pts · 4 reb · 0 ast
Tue, Oct 13 at LAL6 pts · 4 reb · 2 ast
Sat, Oct 10 vs SAC0 pts · 2 reb · 0 ast
Wed, Oct 7 at POR0 pts · 0 reb · 0 ast
Tue, Oct 6 vs LAL4 pts · 5 reb · 1 ast
Hield · contract
2026-27$9.7M
2027-28player option$10.1M
Payton II · contract
2026-27$2.4M

More comparisons

pick any two players →
Hield vs
Gary Payton II · Ja'Kobe Walter · Ben Saraf · Bogdan Bogdanovic
Payton II vs
Ja'Kobe Walter · Ben Saraf · Bogdan Bogdanovic · Buddy Hield

Per-game numbers and percentages are 2025-26 regular season from stats.nba.com; splits and last games from our own game logs; contract figures are cap hits from public salary data and can lag a signing by a day. Bold marks the better number in each row (turnovers: fewer is better).