Amid the Indiana Pacers' rise as one of the most exciting teams to watch in the NBA during the 2023-24 season, Buddy Hield has been lost in the shuffle. Hield's relationship with the Pacers appeared to sour after the two sides failed to come to terms to a contract extension, and as a result, the 31-year old sharpshooter lost his standing as one of the team's most important players, with Indiana opting to bring him off the bench for the majority of the season thus far.

Even with Bennedict Mathurin out due to illness during the Pacers' 132-129 win over the Houston Rockets, the Pacers opted to start Andrew Nembhard at the two instead of Hield. Nevertheless, Hield showed his value and he continues to play his heart out even in a smaller role. And Tyrese Haliburton recognizes the impact his longtime teammate has on the team even when he's not shooting the ball particularly well.

“The one thing people need to understand, is the gravity he has as a basketball player. I know it's kind of overblown, the talk about Buddy when he's not shooting very well. But I've got the utmost faith in him. He works his butt off,” Haliburton said following the Pacers' win over the Rockets, per Tyler Smith of IndySportsLegends.com.

Indeed, Buddy Hield was impactful during the Pacers' win over the Rockets even though he played in just 24 minutes. He added 12 points on 5-7 shooting from the field (2-4 from three), but most importantly, he was a team-high +11, changing the momentum in Indiana's favor every time he was on the court.

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At this point, it's not quite clear if the Pacers will trade away Hield with less than two days to go before the deadline. But Tyrese Haliburton continues to bat for Hield — a teammate of his ever since he entered the NBA back in 2020 — which should mean the world given how important of a figure Haliburton has become for the Pacers.

Contending teams need sharpshooters who can turn games on its head, and Hield fits the bill. Now, it's up to Hield to fill up the scoring column even in a smaller role as well as do the little things that would endear him even more to Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle.