By RENALDO DORSETT

Tribune Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE 2018-19 season was a breakout year for Buddy Hield with career highs across the board and he looks to continue that trend in the upcoming campaign.

Hield took centre stage as the Kings opened training camp with Media Day at the Golden 1 Center Practice Facility in Sacramento, California.

His personal improvement, the team’s young core and their rise in a loaded Western Conference have been a popular talking points for many NBA pundits during the offseason.

The Kings finished just outside the playoff race last season and are now led by Luke Walton at the helm as head coach in their bid to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

“We’re going to have goals to shoot a certain amount of threes every game,” Walton said. It is a philosophy that the record-setting three-point shooter Hield seemed poised to embrace but his ultimate goal is to play meaningful games in the playoffs.

Hield has now made more three-point field goals than any other player in NBA history through their first three seasons in the league with 602. His season total of 278 three-pointers ranks No.7 all-time for a single season and moved him ahead of Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors with 276 in 2016.

“You already know how I feel about that. It’s no question. I’ll shoot as much as they want me to,” Hield said. “You play to play in the postseason. That’s everybody’s goal and I haven’t been to the postseason yet since I’ve been in the NBA.”

Buddy Hield and the Sacramento Kings will begin their preseason making NBA history, participating in the league’s first game ever in India.

The Kings will face the Indiana Pacers in a pair of games October 4-5 at the NCSI, SVP Stadium in Mumbai, India.

Hield’s focus on fundraising efforts and community outreach during the post Hurricane Dorian recovery period comes at a pivotal time in his professional career in the midst of contract negotiations with the Kings.

Hield is set to enter the final year of his rookie contract (four-year, $15.9-million) and is eligible for a rookie scale contract extension (up to $158.1 million over five years) within the next six seeks.

The deadline for both sides to reach an agreement on the extension is October 21.

The 2019-20 season tips off on October 22.

Should they fail to agree on the extension, Hield could become a restricted free agent next summer if the Kings extend the $6.48 million offer.

According to Jason Anderson of the Sacramento Bee, Kings general manager Vlade Divac said both sides are currently working on the deal.

“We are … every day is working and Buddy’s a big part of this team, and we’ll figure something out down the road,” Divac said. “We’re working on it and we’ll figure out something. Buddy is (a) very important piece to this franchise.”

In his third season, Hield averaged 20.7 points on 46 per cent from the floor, 43 per cent shooting from three-point range and 88 per cent shooting from the free throw line. He also averaged 5.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists in just over 32 minutes per game.

Hield also set the Kings’ single-season three-point field goals record this season when he surpassed Peja Stojakovic’s mark of 240.

During his season of milestones, Hield also made his debut in the MTN Dew Three Point Shootout at NBA All-Star Weekend.