Perception in sports is an interesting thing. Sometimes reputation and reality don’t jive, and other times players get much more or much less attention than they actually deserve. One example of this is Pacers guard George Hill.
George Hill is a native of Indianapolis, a rare professional athlete who plays for his hometown team. After a stellar career at Broad Ripple High School, Hill had offers from several Division I schools, including the storied Indiana Hoosiers. However, Hill decided to take the road less traveled, accepting a scholarship offer from a much smaller basketball program, IUPUI, so he could remain closer to home.
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Hill shined in his four years as an IUPUI Jaguar, but NBA players just don’t come from small schools like IUPUI…in fact, no player from this program had ever played in the NBA. So, the odds of George Hill wearing an NBA uniform seemed remote, at best.
However, Hill played well in the NBA’s pre-draft camps, and he was starting to get some notice. Might this 6-3 guard from a tiny school actually get drafted by an NBA team? Not only was George Hill drafted, but in a surprise move, the San Antonio Spurs used their first round pick (26th overall) on Hill. Considering the Spurs’ (deserved) reputation for unearthing quality talent later in the draft, this was quite an affirmation of Hill’s talent and potential.
George Hill had three good years in San Antonio from 2008-2011, averaging 10 points per game as a key reserve and occasional starter. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has been outspoken regarding the fact that George Hill became his favorite player…and when you’ve coached the likes of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, that is quite a compliment.
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Others in the NBA had begun to appreciate the contributions Hill was making to the Spurs’ success, including the Indiana Pacers. The team’s President of Basketball Operations, Larry Bird, had become a fan of Hill’s during his time in the NBA, and Bird had been trying to acquire Hill for some time – to no avail. On the night of the 2011 NBA Draft, Bird finally made an offer that San Antonio felt they couldn’t pass up. Bird dealt the Pacers’ first round pick, forward Kawhi Leonard of San Diego State, to the Spurs for George Hill. Bird finally got his man, and San Antonio got a young player they thought had great potential, even if it meant giving up a player the organization truly loved and believed in.
Now in his 5th season as a Pacer, George Hill has been a full-time starter in Indiana, and his numbers have increased in virtually every category since joining the Pacers in 2011. So, why isn’t Hill more appreciated by Indiana’s fan base? Not only has he been a solid performer on the court, but he is a hometown kid, after all.
Let’s take a look at some of the reasons Hill’s acceptance has been a hard sell in Indiana.
One issue working against Hill is that during most of his time with the Pacers, the team has been considered a top contender in the Eastern Conference. Because of this, many Pacers fans feel that in order to take that “next step,” the team needs a better, more dynamic point guard. George Hill is a steady performer, but he’s not going to show up on the ESPN highlights too often. He’s also a combo guard, adept at either the point guard or shooting guard position, so he often receives criticism for not being a pure point guard.
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As time has gone on, the actual trade that brought George Hill to Indiana has become a thorn in the side of the fan base as well. Kawhi Leonard has exceeded all expectations in San Antonio, becoming one of the better players in the league. He was named MVP of the 2014 NBA Finals and 2014-15 NBA Defensive Player of the Year…and continues to improve each season. When fans in Indiana look at Leonard’s meteoric rise, they can’t help but wonder “what could have been.”
In terms of George Hill not being good enough to be the starting point guard on a contending team, that’s debatable. During his tenure with Pacers, the team has been in the playoffs three times, going to the Eastern Conference Finals twice (losing to the James-Wade-Bosh-led Miami Heat both times). Theoretically, if the argument is to be made that the Pacers would have gone farther with a “better” point guard, then who would that be? And if a player like that could be acquired (which would not be an easy task), then what would you have to give up to get that player? Magically adding a top-flight guard without giving up any of your core players is pure fantasy, so this is a weak argument.
The next issue is Kawhi Leonard’s success in San Antonio versus George Hill’s contributions in Indiana. Leonard has been terrific as a Spur, there is no question about that. There’s really no debate that he is currently a better player than George Hill…so is there anything that can be said in Hill’s defense? Yes.
First, when the Pacers made that deal, they needed a point guard. They already had an up-and-coming small forward in Paul George, so Leonard seemed to be a skill-set duplication at the time. In the ensuing years, Hill has continued to fill the void at lead guard, while Paul George has developed into a star.
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The other point that needs to be made is that when Kawhi Leonard came into the NBA, he was not nearly the player he is today. Coming out of San Diego State, Leonard was considered a very good athlete and defensive player, but was raw offensively. His game has evolved tremendously in his four-plus years in San Antonio – a franchise with an impeccable history of developing young talent. Would Leonard be the player he is today if not for the coaching and culture surrounding him in San Antonio? Probably not.
Another notch on George Hill’s belt is that much of what he does is not flashy and tends to be overlooked. He is a very good defensive player, and a steadying influence on the court. He is a team-first guy, a true professional who does whatever is asked of him…these things should not be discounted when evaluating Hill’s value to the Pacers.
Certainly not an all-inclusive fact, but a very good indication of what George Hill’s presence means to the Pacers is how they performed in 2014-15, a season in which he missed 39 games. In those 39 games, Indiana went 12-27. When Hill was in the lineup, the team had a 26-17 record.
The debate over George Hill’s status as Indiana’s starting point guard will likely rage on, but screwd NBA observers know the score: George Hill did a lot for the Spurs, has done even more for the Pacers, and is a player who’s true value is not obvious to the casual observer.
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