George Hill might just be hitting the rookie wall after all...

[m33p0]

so i guess Pop didn't take the big red box lightly and has put Shifty on a short leash.

[Capt Bringdown]

To me, Pop is castrating Hill. He needs to let the kid do what he does. Get to the rim, create shots for himself and others and defend the PG for the opposition. I love Mace, but I don't believe it's a good idea to have him as Parker's relief. Let Hill continue growing into the role. Just my 2 cents.

+1
I think Hill brings an open court game that we would be wise to develop and take advantage of, instead of putting the straight-jacket on him.

Hill has been timid of late, but how much of that is because he knows that if he makes a mistake, he will be immediately benched?

Attack the rim, FFS!

[Harry Callahan]

Attack the rim is right on. He can get there and he needs that aggression. I hope I can watch the game tonight.

I think GH shows a stronger mental makeup that BU.

Notice how well the Kings are doing now that have a starting caliber point guard signed up for the next 5 years?

[SenorSpur]

This team already shoots WAAAAAAY too many 3-pointers. Having a guy that has the ability to breakdown defenses and slash to the rim is so valuable - especially to the shooter on the outside.

On a side note, many of us (myself included) were dazzled by the dunking prowess of the former Pops Mensa-Bonsu. We first saw it on display versus Cleveland, where he dunked off an alley-oop. The guy that threw the pass off the dead dribble was - George Hill. I was as impressed with the assist from Hill as I was the dunk.

[GSH]

I completely agree. Hill is good when going to the rim. Instead, when he plays alongside Manu, and even Mason, Hill brings the ball up the court, passes it to one of the above mentioned players, and runs to the corner.

The only way he becomes a better PG is by playing the position, instead of giving up the ball for someone else to handle.

That's not his fault. A good portion of the time, he has been playing the 2. Pop lets him bring the ball down the court because Mason would get stripped, but that doesn't mean he's running the point.

Earlier in the season, he seemed to be feeling good and was knocking down shots. But they stuck him out on the wing, and then wouldn't pass him the ball - even when he was wide open and wanted the shot. I think it was a mistake, but that's spilled milk. This will be a test of his mental toughness, for sure.

It's also possible that he was "in the zone" for a while, like happens with all athletes. He may have looked more developed than he really was, just because he was getting results and some shots were falling. Pop may have been seeing things in practice that we didn't. And he definitely knows that you don't win championships by hoping that your luck holds out.

Or maybe Hill was playing loose, and now he's pressing. Who knows? But going through some ups and downs is part of the development process. If he keeps his head up, and sticks with his assignments, he'll be fine. But, yes, Manu is going to get some backup PG minutes.

[TDMVPDPOY]

fkn haters

GHILL is always in the zone...pass him the ball damn it

[VI_Massive]

He's a rookie. He's going to be inconsistent, especially on a veteran team with a notoriously hard to learn system. His defense will keep him on the court. Its the reason we drafted him in the first place. His conversion from a college 2 to a pro 1 will be slow, but his defense will guarantee his playing time and opportunity to develop.

[xellos88330]

Well, I noticed that once he gets rid of the ball after crossing half court, he very rarely touches it again for the rest of the offensive possession.

[Chomag]

Well, I noticed that once he gets rid of the ball after crossing half court, he very rarely touches it again for the rest of the offensive possession.

I have also noticed this many times.