For complexes with a coordination number of 2 or greater than 6, the ground state spin is assigned as HS based on observed trends. We hypothesize that in such low-or highcoordination cases, the ligand field is weak due to the limited interaction between the metal and ligands. This stems from either sterically hindered bulky ligands in the former case or overly crowded coordination spheres in the latter. Accordingly, both extremes favor the HS ground state.