How can the former Pacer still contribute to a competitive team?
In the Pacers case, familiarity with the area and coaching staff give the guard an immediate advantage over signing with any other team, minus Milwaukee. He’d be the oldest player – sans an older player being acquired – on a team focused around a young core, including a young guard rotation. The Broad Ripple graduate could potentially replace Darren Collison twice…. although hopefully not in the starting lineup this time.
During his stints in San Antonio, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee, Hill benefited from the systems that heavily emphasized defense and showed the ability to be a solid defender. He posted a 98.3 defensive-rating while in a Bucks uniform, which led the team among players who played at least 40 games.
After Kyrie Irving averaged 23 points per game on 35.7% three-point shooting in the Celtics first-round series against the Pacers, Hill was able to help the league’s best defensive team continue their prowess of the ball and limit the All-Star to shooting a meager 35.2% from the floor and 22.7% from deep.
Here’s an example of Hill’s defensive ability; he’s able to contain Irving, after coming off of a screen, and forces him into a contested shot versus the open layup the Celtics guard would have had if Hill were a step too slow.
Briefly mentioned earlier, the veteran guard is still good at getting to the basket. This could improve the teams spacing ability, as defenses have to decide whether to switch onto a driving Hill, or protect against a pass out for an open three.
This buzzer-beater assist courtesy of Milwaukee’s point guard perfectly shows his talent for driving at the rim:
As you’d desire from a veteran guard, Hill is good at taking care of the ball. His assist/turnover ratio while in Milwaukee was 3.70, which finished second on the team behind Pat Connaughton. For comparison, his ratio would have ranked second on the Pacers as well (Cory Joseph posted a 4.01, which was the 6th highest in the NBA among guards).
Having a guard who can come off the bench with the reliability of not turning the ball over is crucial, especially when considering that the Pacers offense has been known to stagnate once the starters are off the floor.
Concerning Hill’s age and volatile shooting over the previous handful of seasons, the idea of him being a major rotation player doesn’t aid in forecasting a positive improvement. If the Pacers and their former guard can agree on a deal to utilize him in a third guard role, similar to the Bucks, he could be vital in certain scenarios, especially in the playoffs.
When getting that deep into the rotation, there aren’t many guards in the league who can offer as many intangible non-box score benefits as the vet.