76ers guard could do something NBA hasn't seen in 19 years

The 31-year-old has the rare opportunity to join the 84-game club thanks to the trade-deadline-day deal that sent Hield from the Indiana Pacers to the Sixers.

When he was acquired by Philadelphia, Hield had been one of only two Pacers to appear in each of the team's first 52 games of the season. Since then, he's played in every one of the 76ers' 30 contests.

Philadelphia had only played 51 games compared to the Pacers' 52 at the time of the trade, giving Hield a chance to go over 82 regular-season contests.

The Oklahoma product has not only been one of the premier three-point shooting weapons in the Association since debuting in 2016, but his durability this year is nothing new.

Hield has appeared in at least 80 games six times in eight seasons, he's never missed more than two games in a season and he missed only one contest across the pandemic-shortened 2019-2020 and 2020-21 campaigns.

According to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Noah Levick, if Hield takes the court for the 76ers' final pair of regular-season tilts, he'd become the first player to suit up for 84 contests since Casey Jacobsen in the 2004-2005 campaign. 

Jacobsen was able to reach 84 due to his January 2005 trade from the Phoenix Suns to the then-New Orleans Hornets. The 2002 first-round pick played 40 games with the Suns and 44 with the Hornets but only made one start.

"They call it the Iron Man in the league. What do I have, two more? So hopefully 83, 84. I’m blessed, man, to be able to play 82 games. Just got to keep taking care of my body and hopefully I can do it again next year. That’s always been the goal. Even after I got traded, I was mad I missed a game," Hield said following Tuesday's win against the Detroit Pistons, per Levick. “I know how important it is to me, just setting a tone for the younger guys around the league. I just love to play. That speaks volumes about me — just loving to play each and every day.”

After 630 regular-season games, it looks like Hield will finally get a taste of his first playoff action, too.

The Sixers (45-35) enter Wednesday as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and are guaranteed at least a spot in the play-in tournament. They could still drop to the eighth seed or avoid the play-in altogether and skyrocket as high as the No. 4 seed.

Directly above Philadelphia in the standings at the coveted No. 6 spot is Hield's old team — the Pacers — at 46-34.