G.Hill this season

[Spurs Brazil]

After a good performance on Summer League and Training Camp I expected a lot of G.Hill this season.

But so far I'm little disappointed with his play.

His starts are up from last season but I thought he could do more
Year Team G GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% OFF DEF RPG APG SPG BPG TO PF PPG
08-09 SAS 77 7 16.5 0.403 0.329 0.781 0.4 1.7 2.1 1.8 0.6 0.3 0.96 1.95 5.7
09-10 SAS 33 4 23.5 0.433 0.369 0.783 0.5 1.7 2.1 2.2 0.9 0.3 1.09 2.85 9.3

His J looks better and he's good in that corner 3 but I don't like the way he runs the team and especially his inconsistent play.

Sometimes GH3 calls a play and waits to much to make a decision if the play is not there. Even Sean said during a game last month that Hill calls the play, the defense end up reading it and Hill still tries to execute but other options are developing there and Hill can't read it. So I think Hill, the PG, still not work.

His defense is up and down. There were nights when he looks good, like the game against the Bucks at home when he did a good job on Jennings and others times it's a disaster (Bayless).

And finally I'd love to see Hill attacking more. He has the ability to go to the basket and draw some fouls but on most nights he's to passive.

Do you think I'm asking too much or Hill can still improve his play until the Playoffs?

[DPG21920]

George Hill has shown flashes, but like so many other players of his age and caliber, he is too inconsistent.

My problem with Hill is that he lacks creativity and decisiveness. Far too often he is taken out of a play or he lets other players dictate what he can do. Good players find ways to accomplish what they are good at no matter how the defense/offense plays you. Hill allows simple defensive plays to cause him to abort his first option. He does not take any chances and sometimes forcing your way is the right decision.

I still have hope for Hill but I have scaled back my enthusiasm.

[bobby4germany]

Hill has a HUGE up side but for now 10 ppg is very nice coming from a back-up point guard.

[Spursmania]

I have the same question about Hill. Are we expecting too much from him?
Hill looked so much more confident this year and his jumpers early on were impressive and more consistent.

But, for the last ten games or so, I haven't been as impressed. I thought his D has been more flat recently, and his decision making looks suspect. He is not comfortable running the show yet.

Last thing: When the refs see his indecision and/or lack of confidence, they are not going to respect him as a player and will not give him the benefit of the call on defense or offense. This is troubling and will lead to no calls come play off time.

[Truckules]

Are we expecting too much from him?

I would say yes. It's only his second year in the league and he is putting up nearly 10 ppg in 26 mpg to go along with his defense, which is pretty good for how green he is even though it is inconsistent. If 2 years from now he hasn't progressed, then I would consider him a disappointment. For being a second year backup, I'd say he is doing his job fairly well.

[blkroadrunners]

The dude is basically a similar version of Antonio Daniels. The difference though is that he's playing w/ another playmaker in Manu Ginobili coming off the bench, whereas AD was that guy. Hill's playing ok, especially for a backup behind TP - he does though need to work on staying in front of his opponent and committing less fouls.

[slick'81]

i think hes coming alon just fine his minutes are becoming more consistent and he still brings alot of energy and hustle off the pine

[Brazil]

I miss the GHill of last year capable of key defensive plays using his rebounding steals skills, he isn't rebounding the ball this year

[exstatic]

I miss the GHill of last year capable of key defensive plays using his rebounding steals skills, he isn't rebounding the ball this year

There are fewer boards available with Heavy D in the lineup. :toast

[sonic21]

he hasn't really improved compared to last year. He shoots better though.

[HarlemHeat37]

His offense has definitely improved IMO..with Hill focusing more on offense, it appears that the rest of his game has suffered..he's not at the point where he can do it all at the same time..it takes a while to adjust your game to the toughest position in basketball(PG)..

[Doe]

Hill allows simple defensive plays to cause him to abort his first option. He does not take any chances and sometimes forcing your way is the right decision.


I agree with that assessment. This is especially true when he is in screen and roll situations. He's easily neutralized by the big coming out to hedge or his man ducking under the screen. Too often it seems that play results in Hill having to reset and passing it off to RMJ or Manu. I was really hoping he'd have improved that aspect of his game over the summer.

[Agloco]

There are no boards available with Heavy D in the lineup. :toast

fify

[TDMVPDPOY]

lol at the haters....

[The Truth #6]

I'm not sure if Pop's preseason praising of Hill screwed with Hill's head, but it certainly screwed with most people's expectations of him.

I don't consider myself a hater but I thought we would have seen a lot more positive signs so far this season. People want to say that Hill is young and needs time to learn. While this is true in general - Hill still has a lot of time and room to improve - at the same time he has been pretty consistent this year. And not in a good way. By that I mean, he has consistently shown no moments where I think he's going to be a great player. Not every player is going to be great, which is expected. But I thought I would have seen at least a few plays where he shows signs why he was Pop's "favorite player in Preseason."

Which gets to a point others have said - I'm reassessing my expectations for him. I think he can be a great hustle player with rebounds and defense, but he is horrible at running the offense. I don't think he's even shown a few plays all year where it looks like he can run the offense without robotically sticking to the play. And with Tony already being a mediocre playmaker, I'm not sure I like this combination.

I do think a trade needs to occur this year to strengthen our overall weaknesses. If the team can honestly improve with a trade that involves Hill (or Bonner or Finley), then I would be open to it.

[itzsoweezee]

I don't know what games you're watching. For a second year player being asked to play out of position, he's doing great.

[objective]

regardless of how disappointing he may have been so far with playmaking or defense, he still would have to be the best Spurs back up point guard since Speedy, who couldn't stay healthy. Beno couldn't bring the ball across halfcourt. Van Exel couldn't guard anyone. Vaughn couldn't shoot or make plays. Mason was too loose with the handle and got out of his rhythm at SG.

[TDMVPDPOY]

regardless of how disappointing he may have been so far with playmaking or defense, he still would have to be the best Spurs back up point guard since Speedy, who couldn't stay healthy. Beno couldn't bring the ball across halfcourt. Van Exel couldn't guard anyone. Vaughn couldn't shoot or make plays. Mason was too loose with the handle and got out of his rhythm at SG.

the only backcourt beno couldnt get pass was the pistons, and we only play the pistons 2x a season, or +4 games if we meet in the finals....give me a break with this bs about BENO....

[objective]

the only backcourt beno couldnt get pass was the pistons, and we only play the pistons 2x a season, or +4 games if we meet in the finals....give me a break with this bs about BENO....

he couldn't bring the ball up against Boykins either in the first round.

Sure it was his rookie year, but that whole playoffs run was disappointing for him. Mid-season he was an absolute stud, but he hit the wall hard.

If he was so awesome against everyone except Lindsay Hunter why did he shoot like garbage the entire playoff run? Why did he have a nearly even assist-to-turnover ratio?

[The Truth #6]

I don't know what games you're watching. For a second year player being asked to play out of position, he's doing great.

And what is his position? "Point guard who's really a combo guard yet plays like a shooting guard because Roger Mason handles most of the playmaking responsibilities"?

[Chieflion]

George Hill was never a back up point guard. He is a combo guard who is better off playing the 2. The Spurs need a true back up point. It is going to haunt the Spurs come playoff time where defenses are tighter and cause more turnovers.

[itzsoweezee]

And what is his position? "Point guard who's really a combo guard yet plays like a shooting guard because Roger Mason handles most of the playmaking responsibilities"?

he's never played point prior to joining the spurs. and considering it's the hardest position to play in this league, and that hill is only in his second year, and that popovich's system is ridiculously complicated, i think hill's doing an amazing job.

[SpurCharger]

Hill Is Very Young.... He is No All Star.... He will Get a Lil Better but I wouldnt expect To Much more from him....

[Danny.Zhu]

We did expect too much from him. And I am pleased with his development this season.

[kace]

right now, i think he's good.

of course, considering the very high, and not reasonable, expectations that a lot of members had about him, he could be a disapointment right now.

but if you look at him objectively, you see a very solid backup PG for TP, the best we had from years, in fact, the best since TP is here. and he's very young, he will be better.

[silverblackfan]

I am happy with the second year role player who is improving due to hard effort and great developing skills.
Most of his problems right now are mental, he hesitates at times. This has gotten better from last year and will get better as the year goes on. His abilities as a defender and offensive slasher are very exciting, even if he has not reached his potential.
If we did not have Blair, I would say he is the best Rookie / sophomore we have seen in years. Still an excellent draft.

[timvp]

Good thread.

Hill's season has been all over the board. He's changed his approach numerous times so it's difficult to get a read at how well he's doing and how much he's improved.

As is the case with most combo guards who enter the NBA, he's starting to drift more toward being a shooting guard than a point guard. He's a really good ballhandler so that makes him the second choice to bring the ball up the court (behind TP). But regarding making plays, making quick decisions, making the right pass ... Hill makes TP look like John Stockton.

That said, I think Hill can be a high quality bench player. If he concentrates on being a lockdown defender who doesn't foul, grabs a high amount of boards and plays the passing lane on defense while hitting threes, finishing at the rim and getting to the line on offense ... Hill will be very useful. But he hasn't put it all together yet. We'll see if can.

[Spurs Brazil]

timvp, do you think his D is better this season?

I don't know if it's because I expect him to be a great defender but on some nights I very disappointed with Hill D

[TDMVPDPOY]

timvp, do you think his D is better this season?

I don't know if it's because I expect him to be a great defender but on some nights I very disappointed with Hill D

doesnt seem like we had played any good teams yet where his needed....

[Baseline]

Hill's ability to defend multiple positions may be his greatest asset to us.

Let's see how he does on Jason Terry and Barea tonight. Or maybe even Josh Howard. I think his defensive versatility is what Pop likes best about him.

On the offensive end, let's face it - it's no easy task to play PG for Pop. The only guy he has really liked is AJ, and AJ was extremely steady, but couldn't shoot his way out of a paper bag. I think Pop has to be pleased with Parker by now, but he still plays mind games with him, something I'll never understand.

[timvp]

timvp, do you think his D is better this season?

I don't know if it's because I expect him to be a great defender but on some nights I very disappointed with Hill D

He's been hit or miss. He's had some great nights (like the game against Durant) and then there are nights when he looks clueless on pick-and-roll defense. And up until recently, he was fouling out of control.

Pop has given Hill a few shots to be the defensive stopper but Hill basically got beat out for the job by Bogans. We'll see against tougher competition where Hill stands in the pecking order. If he gets large doses of Terry tonight, then we know Pop still has confidence in him.

Hill has a chance to be a very good defender. Right now I'd say he's slightly above average -- once you account for the highs and lows.

[dbestpro]

Hill has quick hands and long arms and as a result I think he relies to much on his upper torso when he plays D. He is forced to move his feet against the big guys to hold position and does play bigger players well. He needs to keep the feet moving against the smaller guys and not just rely on his reach to keep himself in the play.

[NFGIII]

I have the same question about Hill. Are we expecting too much from him?
Hill looked so much more confident this year and his jumpers early on were impressive and more consistent.

But, for the last ten games or so, I haven't been as impressed. I thought his D has been more flat recently, and his decision making looks suspect. He is not comfortable running the show yet.

Last thing: When the refs see his indecision and/or lack of confidence, they are not going to respect him as a player and will not give him the benefit of the call on defense or offense. This is troubling and will lead to no calls come play off time.

Good points which have been in my mind as of late. Especially the last one. Regardless if it is going to happen or not at least execute it with confidence. That perception on the refs part is normal and HIll will have to change their view of him if he wants to get the calls. He really came out of the gate in the beginning of the season strong. I guess at that point my expectations were very high since I believe in the sophmore year being a the year most players make significant improvement after gettting a taste of what it is to play in the NBA their rookie year. If not then that is also a point to consider. Little to no improvement isn't a good sign that that particular player is going to have a long career. Just MHO.


Good thread.

Hill's season has been all over the board. He's changed his approach numerous times so it's difficult to get a read at how well he's doing and how much he's improved.

As is the case with most combo guards who enter the NBA, he's starting to drift more toward being a shooting guard than a point guard. He's a really good ballhandler so that makes him the second choice to bring the ball up the court (behind TP). But regarding making plays, making quick decisions, making the right pass ... Hill makes TP look like John Stockton.

That said, I think Hill can be a high quality bench player. If he concentrates on being a lockdown defender who doesn't foul, grabs a high amount of boards and plays the passing lane on defense while hitting threes, finishing at the rim and getting to the line on offense ... Hill will be very useful. But he hasn't put it all together yet. We'll see if can.

Agreed , especially about his being the lockdown defender. Bowen made a good living out of that and there are so few of them in the league. So to have that on your resume would be very favorable for Hill and the Spurs.

I would like for him to focus on D primarily and let the offense come to him when the situation warranted it.

:flag:

[jimo2305]

george hill is doing great for a 2nd year player.. don't look at stats alone.. they dont' tellt he whole story