Buddy Hield and the Indiana Pacers are hoping to vault up the Eastern Conference standings after their recent acquisition of Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors. Hield has provided great shooting and floor spacing for Pacers point guard Tyrese Haliburton; however, Indiana has struggled mightily on the defensive end so far this year, and the hope is that Siakam will be able to shore things up on that end of the floor as the season enters its second half.

On Thursday evening, the Pacers took on the Sacramento Kings, the franchise for which Hield used to play, on the road, meaning that Hield would be back in front of the fans that he used to electrify on a nightly basis. As is (sometimes) customary for former players making their return, Hield was greeted with boos from the Kings faithful during his pregame introduction, and he responded by blowing kisses to the Golden 1 Center crowd, per Sean Cunningham of Fox40 News.

Hield has played an integral role in what has been one of the NBA's most lethal offenses this year in Indiana. Led by Haliburton, the Pacers have crossed the 150-point threshold multiple times already this season, and the acquisition of Siakam figures to make the Pacers more well-rounded on both sides of the ball, and thus harder to contend with when the NBA postseason rolls around in just a few short months.

The Pacers currently sit in seventh place in the conference at 23-17, but it wouldn't be a surprise to see that positioning skyrocket as Siakam enters the fray.