duncan228
01-10-2009, 12:33 AM
Spurs' Hill senses 'rookie wall' on horizon (http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/spurs/Spurs_Hill_senses_rookie_wall_on_horizon.html)
Jeff McDonald
There is an obstacle laid out for every NBA rookie, a mountain to climb, a test of strength and endurance that can sideswipe even the most promising of inaugural seasons.
It is the dreaded “rookie wall,” and Spurs point guard George Hill knows it's out there waiting for him.
When Hill steps on the AT&T Center court Sunday against Orlando, it will mark his 34th NBA game, equaling the number he played in a full season as a college junior last year at IUPUI in Indianapolis.
“You always hear about rookies hitting that wall, because they're used to playing a certain amount of games in college,” said Hill, who the Spurs made the 26th overall pick in the June draft. “They surpass that, and then they hit that brick wall where their body can't go any longer.”
Hill hasn't hit that point yet. As a reserve, he's averaging only 19 minutes a game, nearly half the 36.8 a night he logged last season at IUPUI.
Still, Hill knows the wall is coming, and he's braced for impact.
“I don't think I want to look forward to hitting that wall,” Hill said.
So far, Hill has put together an uncommonly good rookie season, especially for a player taken in the lower portion of the first round.
Used mostly as a backup to All-Star Tony Parker, Hill is averaging 7.8 points, and has shown flashes of the defensive prowess that so intrigued the Spurs during pre-draft workouts.
He was instrumental in helping the Spurs survive nine games while Parker was injured in November, starting six of them and scoring at least 19 points four times. Hill's offensive numbers have fluctuated with his playing time since Parker returned, but all in all, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has gotten more than he expected out of a rookie still learning to play point guard.
“We expected him to play pretty good defense and rebound at that position,” Popovich said. “But offensively, he's had some nights that have been pretty darn impressive.”
To accelerate Hill's learning curve, Popovich has given him more and more responsibility lately. Hill started the fourth quarter in each of the past two games, with the outcome still in doubt.
At one point in Thursday night's victory over the Clippers, Popovich even ceded the head coach's chair to Hill, and let the rookie run a timeout.
Afterward, Hill said it was the highlight of his season.
“I'm going to tell everyone back home I got to run a timeout,” Hill said, beaming.
The Spurs would like to believe they will continue to get steady progress out of Hill. But “steady progress” tends to go with “NBA rookie” the way “gastric restraint” goes with the term “competitive eater.”
For Hill, there is that wall looming in the distance, which can tend to make even the most talented rookies go south around the All-Star break. The challenge is not just a physical one.
“Mentally is where it's toughest for rookies,” said Roger Mason Jr., the Spurs' fifth-year guard. “Physically, they can handle 82 games. Mentally, the wear and tear can affect you.”
If anybody on the Spurs roster could possibly relate to what it's like to be George Hill, it's Parker.
Parker was a 19-year-old prodigy when he joined the Spurs in 2001. There were days that season he wished he had never left France.
“You have great games, and then the next game, you don't even know what's going on,” Parker said. “You have ups and downs. I went through that my rookie season.”
Surveying Hill's season as a body of work, Parker gives his protégé high marks just for making a contribution.
“I don't think anybody in this building thought he'd play this well when we drafted him,” Parker said.
The expectations have increased exponentially for Hill since then. The Spurs are now counting on Hill to be a key part of their rotation, both down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs.
By then, Hill hopes he was scaled his wall to climb.
“I want to do anything I can to help this team win,” Hill said. “I'll just keep adjusting as I go.”
Jeff McDonald
There is an obstacle laid out for every NBA rookie, a mountain to climb, a test of strength and endurance that can sideswipe even the most promising of inaugural seasons.
It is the dreaded “rookie wall,” and Spurs point guard George Hill knows it's out there waiting for him.
When Hill steps on the AT&T Center court Sunday against Orlando, it will mark his 34th NBA game, equaling the number he played in a full season as a college junior last year at IUPUI in Indianapolis.
“You always hear about rookies hitting that wall, because they're used to playing a certain amount of games in college,” said Hill, who the Spurs made the 26th overall pick in the June draft. “They surpass that, and then they hit that brick wall where their body can't go any longer.”
Hill hasn't hit that point yet. As a reserve, he's averaging only 19 minutes a game, nearly half the 36.8 a night he logged last season at IUPUI.
Still, Hill knows the wall is coming, and he's braced for impact.
“I don't think I want to look forward to hitting that wall,” Hill said.
So far, Hill has put together an uncommonly good rookie season, especially for a player taken in the lower portion of the first round.
Used mostly as a backup to All-Star Tony Parker, Hill is averaging 7.8 points, and has shown flashes of the defensive prowess that so intrigued the Spurs during pre-draft workouts.
He was instrumental in helping the Spurs survive nine games while Parker was injured in November, starting six of them and scoring at least 19 points four times. Hill's offensive numbers have fluctuated with his playing time since Parker returned, but all in all, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich has gotten more than he expected out of a rookie still learning to play point guard.
“We expected him to play pretty good defense and rebound at that position,” Popovich said. “But offensively, he's had some nights that have been pretty darn impressive.”
To accelerate Hill's learning curve, Popovich has given him more and more responsibility lately. Hill started the fourth quarter in each of the past two games, with the outcome still in doubt.
At one point in Thursday night's victory over the Clippers, Popovich even ceded the head coach's chair to Hill, and let the rookie run a timeout.
Afterward, Hill said it was the highlight of his season.
“I'm going to tell everyone back home I got to run a timeout,” Hill said, beaming.
The Spurs would like to believe they will continue to get steady progress out of Hill. But “steady progress” tends to go with “NBA rookie” the way “gastric restraint” goes with the term “competitive eater.”
For Hill, there is that wall looming in the distance, which can tend to make even the most talented rookies go south around the All-Star break. The challenge is not just a physical one.
“Mentally is where it's toughest for rookies,” said Roger Mason Jr., the Spurs' fifth-year guard. “Physically, they can handle 82 games. Mentally, the wear and tear can affect you.”
If anybody on the Spurs roster could possibly relate to what it's like to be George Hill, it's Parker.
Parker was a 19-year-old prodigy when he joined the Spurs in 2001. There were days that season he wished he had never left France.
“You have great games, and then the next game, you don't even know what's going on,” Parker said. “You have ups and downs. I went through that my rookie season.”
Surveying Hill's season as a body of work, Parker gives his protégé high marks just for making a contribution.
“I don't think anybody in this building thought he'd play this well when we drafted him,” Parker said.
The expectations have increased exponentially for Hill since then. The Spurs are now counting on Hill to be a key part of their rotation, both down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs.
By then, Hill hopes he was scaled his wall to climb.
“I want to do anything I can to help this team win,” Hill said. “I'll just keep adjusting as I go.”