George Hill
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Player Facts

Height: 6'4"
Weight: 188lbs.

Wingspan: 6'9"

Date of Birth: May 4, 1986
College Experience: IUPUI (4 years)

Selections

All Star: 0
All-NBA: 0
All-Defensive: 0

Player Grades

Speed/Explosiveness: 8
Physical Strength: 4
Positional Size: 8
Positional Wingspan: 8
Paint Scoring: 5
Midrange Scoring: 5
Three-Point Scoring: 8
Dribbling: 7
Passing: 7
Perimeter Defense: 6
Interior Defense: 3
Rebounding: 4

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JUMP TO SECTION

> Intro

> Stabilizer

> Finishing with Length

> Perimeter Marksmanship

> Rock-Solid Passer

> Veteran Defense

> On-Ball Offensive Holes

> Not-So-Switchable

> Soft Backline Defensive Impact

> Mediocre Rebounding Rate

> Beacon Bacon

>Link to Player Contract & Salary Info

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*All statistical data courtesy of NBA Advanced Stats

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STRENGTHS

Intro

George Hill serves as the one and only IUPUI product in the Association. The 6'4" journeyman has offered stability in the backcourt at every stop. As a veteran player, he adds value through spot-up shooting, off-ball playmaking, and low-error perimeter defense.

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Stabilizer

From a scoring standpoint, he plays more like a two-guard. Hill can come off DHO's to attack or to take the jump shot. Alternatively, he excels more so when attacking the seams of a defense that a teammate has opened up.

His positional fluidity bouncing between the two backcourt spots has helped him fit in various lineups. Possession-to-possession, he can initiate a play, then feed a star on the low block with a textbook entry feed, then can a spot-up triple.

The IUPUI product is also a cunning off-ball mover in general, knowing all the little wrinkles to get open/cause defensive miscommunication. He will basket cut to score or even pass on the move in these spots too. George is not one to stand still if one of his teammates is garnering multiple defenders' attention.

Finishing with Length

The intuitive cutter proceeds to be a high-end finisher at the cup for his size. It's what helped him land in the 93rd percentile scoring on cuts in 2018-2019 as a Buck. He then upped it to the 97th percentile in the subsequent campaign.

Beyond cuts, he can finish well after a straight-line drive. For instance, the baseline drive out of the corner is something he excels at. Hill's got a nifty floater package as well and can hit the pull-up midranger.

George uses his length to finish around taller players. He shot 50% from the floor when he drove it in 2019-2020. Delving deeper, a 68.5% mark at the iron was very encouraging. In his next campaign, he was successful on 63.8% of his shots at the rim - still very strong at guard.

Perimeter Marksmanship

George Hill can really shoot it, and this has paved the way for him to be an off-ball stud. He has a simple-looking shot and can be placed in either corner or above-the-break. Hill's not tiny at 6'4" and with his long arms can remain unbothered by tight closeouts.

The veteran guard has played on many teams and with a laundry list of stars. One constant has been his reliability as a guy who will knock down the open three-ball on kick-outs.

From Paul George to Giannis Antetokounmpo, to LeBron James and several more, George has burned defenses that collapse on these penetrators. He loves to use the dip to get himself in rhythm.

2019-2020 had him post one of the better 3pt-shooting seasons in recent memory. To start, he was in the 98th percentile for spot-up scoring. Beyond that, he paced the entire NBA with an even 46% mark from downtown overall.

2020-2021 saw him split time between Oklahoma City and Philadelphia, but his shooting played at both stops. In the first half of the season he played off of guys like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Al Horford, then in the latter half flanked Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid. Hill closed the year with a superb 43.6% catch-and-shoot three clip.

Rock-Solid Passer

George Hill makes a half-court offense flow with savvy passing. He's never been the ultra-high-volume P-N-R type like Damian Lillard or Kemba Walker. Yet, he excels within his role with his quick decision-making.

The hybrid guard has always been a stabilizing player within the five-man unit. Even going back to his early days in San Antonio, he was never an erratic, high-variance passer. George is truly a conservative passer to the core, and while that may not be the favorite style for some, he's made a long career out of doing so.

George has never posted a negative AST/TO ratio in a full season. In fact, he really hasn't come within shouting distance of one in his more than a decade-long career. 2019-2020 had him at a pristine 3.16 as a Milwaukee Buck.

Veteran Defense

Hill has played commendable positional defense against other guards for several years now. A couple of his measurables stand out as being particularly helpful here. He has large hands, and his 6-foot-9 wingspan is a plus coming from the backcourt.

George plays with his feet when guarding someone in space. He can beat speedier guards to their spot, causing them to change course. Hill also offers aggressive ball denials/top-locks against threatening scorers.

Just like he's not an all-or-nothing passer, he curbs the urge to haphazardly lunge out for steals. His steal rate doesn't necessarily suffer from it either. Deflections-wise, a 2.6/36 mark bested Jaylen Brown, Josh Richardson, and Russell Westbrook (2019-2020).

WEAKNESSES

On-Ball Offensive Holes

Hill has accrued a lofty minutes count at the point guard spot. His on-ball creation for others has never quite stacked up though. He's more of a grease-the-wheels cog within the team offense, as opposed to a guy who's making consistent high-level layup passes.

The 6'4" guard has only popped up over the 5 assists per-36 mark in a couple of seasons. That is by no means an unreasonable standard to by judging combo guards on.

George was never an elite scoring threat out of the pick-and-roll or in iso's – so the gravity was never really there. This undoubtedly plays a part in the lackluster on-ball playmaking. He's never been a high-volume pull-up killer, nor an especially explosive slasher.

Not-So-Switchable

Defensively, he's always been solid with moments of reaching a higher-level. This has only ever really been on fellow guards, however.

His frame, safely under 200 pounds, simply doesn't hold up in his instances against the bigger small forwards out there. The height and length are passable for this task, it's the slightness that is problematic. From 2017-2018 to 2019-2020, he spent over 70% of his time checking backcourt players and he began to struggle when faced with a wing.

Soft Backline Defensive Impact

He makes tight, crisp rotations on the defensive end. However, his guard size and lack of vertical pop diminish his effectiveness here. While he may get there on time, it may not make a difference. Hill's not the most willing to at least try and take the charge either - just 9 drawn total from 2018-2019 to 2020-2021.

Mediocre Rebounding Rate

Lastly, rebounding is not a big part of his game. It is a relatively straightforward, effort-based way to round out your on-court value. For George, his rebounding percentages tend to be low and therefore unimpactful.

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Beacon Bacon

George Hill is the lone IUPUI representative to have ever played in the NBA