8p9s Roundtable: Pacers Fact or Fiction?

Fact or Fiction: George Hill is the Indiana Pacers’ MVP so far this season?

Donahue: Fiction, because “MVP” should be an active accomplishment, not passive, lest this award belong to Paul George. That being said, the Pacers have been much better in the limited time George Hill has been on the floor — by both the numbers and by the eye test. Statistically, Indiana is scoring 107 points per 100 with Hill on the floor, but fewer than 97 points with him out of the lineup, and the eye test shows that Hill is the Pacers’ most decisive and athletic perimeter player at both ends. He adds tempo and physicality to a team that all too often aspires to plodding. For these reasons, Hill is probably the most important Pacer for the rest of the year, but he is not the MVP so far this season. (Though, truthfully, it’s difficult to find a compelling candidate among those players who have logged heavy minutes this year.)

Medworth: Fact. He’s only played in eight games this season, and it’s been a real shame. I thought this would be a breakout year for Hill, and it still can be in the second half of the season. He has scored in double figures in each game he’s played and even in limited minutes, he quickly reminds you what a difference he can make. I give credit to the guys who have stepped up in the absence of others (i.e., Donald Sloan), but George Hill is the real MVP.

I’ll take Solo Hill with a team-leading 31.6 minutes per game — a stat most Pacers players would kill for.

Ochoa: Fiction. It’s tough to say that Hill has been the Pacers’ MVP because he’s only played in eight games. There’s no question that the Pacers look exponentially better when he’s on the court, but he hasn’t been there enough to claim such an important title like MVP. I’d give the MVP to David West. He’s the Pacers leading scorer (besides Hill, who doesn’t qualify) and grabs 7 boards a game. And his locker room presence has kept the Pacers from just giving up on the season.

Barth: Fiction. Sure, Hill is leading the team in PPG and PER (not including Shayne Whittington’s crazy team-leading PER of 23.9), but eight games played out of 47 is all you need to know. There are zero Pacers in the NBA’s top 100 in +/- this season (Rudez lands at 107). I’ll take Solo Hill with a team-leading 31.6 minutes per game, a stat most Pacers players would kill for.

Summers: I initially scoffed at this, as it is difficult to provide value while missing so many games. But then I figured if Hill isn’t the MVP, then I would have to explain why somebody else is. This train of thought led me to some dark places. Hill has made a noticeable difference, and when healthy can prevent half court sets from devolving into hot potato. So I’m just going to say fact and stop thinking about this before I start weeping.

Next: DAMO-Nation