SACRAMENTO -- If you are searching for a barometer for the Sacramento Kings, look no further than a leading scorer, Buddy Hield. When he is on, the Kings are tough to beat. When he’s off, the team more often than not goes home with a loss.

In the Kings’ 12 wins this season, Hield is averaging 21.8 points per game while shooting 46.4 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from 3-point range. In Sacramento 18 losses, Hield is averaging 19.2 points, on 38.4 percent from the floor and 34.9 percent from long range.

After stringing together an impressive stretch of 10 games with 20 points or more, Hield has hit a wall. During the Kings’ four-game losing streak, he’s posting just 9.8 points on 24.1 percent (14-of-58) from the field and 22.2 percent (8-for-36) behind the arc.

It’s clear he’s frustrated by his inability to hit shots, but opposing defenses are making a concerted effort to slow the fourth-year guard and he has yet to come up with a counter.

“I’m not getting catch-and-shoot points,” Hield said following the team’s loss to the Rockets. “I can’t remember the last time I got a good catch-and-shoot one where I can take my time and shoot one. I just have to figure it out and adjust to it.”

According to the NBA’s advanced shot dashboard, 30.4 percent of Hield’s 3-point attempts come off the catch and shoot this season and he’s hitting 38.4 percent on those attempts. Last season’s number of attempts was similar (29.6 percent) but he hit 46 percent on those attempts.

A big reason for the decrease is likely due to the way teams are defending the 3-point specialist. Hield has seen his percentage of 3-point field goal attempts with defenders either very tight (0-2 feet) or tight (2-4 feet) jump from 4.5 percent last season to 13.5 percent this season.

Hield isn’t getting free from his defender nearly as often as before and it’s impacted his percentages. The blame falls on almost everyone, Hield, his teammates and the coaching staff drawing up the plays.

“Buddy’s a confident young man and he works very hard,” coach Luke Walton said. “We’ve got to keep doing a better job as a coaching staff to find a way to get him good rhythm looks and he’ll continue to work.”

Injuries to the players around Hield have impacted his numbers. Losing De’Aaron Fox for 17 games slowed the pace of the Kings’ offense and allowed defenses to set up and key in on Hield.

Not having Bogdan Bogdanovic for five games has taken away another creative playmaker who breaks down the defense and sets up his teammates for easy looks on the perimeter.

While the slump has clearly affected the team’s chance of winning, Hield’s teammates aren’t turning their back on him.

“He’s someone who stays in the gym, he keeps putting up shots,” De’Aaron Fox said. “But for us, as a team, the other four guys on the court, we have to just get him easy shots, it’s as simple as that.”

There are plenty of ways to get Hield better looks. The bigs need to set better screens to free him on the perimeter. The guards and wings need to attack the paint and collapse the defense at a higher frequency.

“Next game for us, it’s all about trying to get his groove, because we know in the long run we need him, we need him to make shots, he’s one of the best 3-point shooters in the league and everybody knows that,” Fox said. “Regardless if he’s making shots or not, people are still going to guard him, they’re still going to go for his shot fake. But for us to maximize him, we know he has to put the ball in the basket for us.”

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In addition to his teammates lending a helping hand, Hield needs to continue to work and he also has to hit open shots when he does get them. He’s had to create more for himself this season than ever before, but with Fox back on the court and Bogdanovic getting closer to a return, a lot of the ball-handling responsibilities will be taken off his plate.

The Kings have a two-day break for the holiday to clear their heads, which might do Hield some good. They’ll have some time to prepare for the Minnesota Timberwolves, who after starting the season 10-8, have dropped 11 straight coming into Thursday’s matchup. Like Sacramento, they are in desperate need of a win.