It’s been a less than ideal offseason for the Indiana Pacers. After consecutive Eastern Conference Finals appearances, Lance Stephenson left for Charlotte in free agency, and Paul George suffered a season-ending injury while playing for Team USA. Add to the fact that the other centerpiece of the team, Roy Hibbert, struggled mightily in the second half of last season, and there are a lot of question marks in Indiana. But fans of the team might find comfort in knowing that George Hill has been having a great summer.
Via Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports, Hill has been working out in Indiana this offseason:
After a disappointing 2013-14 season for Hill, perhaps his toughest as a pro, he trimmed his list of activities, stayed in Indiana, and locked in on what he needed to do.
“It’s been hell,” Hill said candidly this month during a 15-minute conversation as kids at his basketball camp paused for lunch. “I’ve been kicked out of the gym a couple of times because I’ve been in there too much. Just staying in the gym, getting my body right to put on a little pounds, just getting my shot back right, working on ball handling, pick-and-rolls and things like that. Just trying to become a better player.”
Much of what he has worked on is movement shooting — off the bounce, finishing at the rims, and floaters. It’s mostly work to fine-tune and be more consistent rather than adding new elements.
“He’s doing it all,” said coach Frank Vogel. “He’s doing stuff in the morning with Yoga and some other stuff like that, and then he’s shooting for an hour and a half, and then he’s lifting. It’s a very, very extensive offseason routine, one that stacks up against any I’ve seen since I’ve been a coach. And usually when that happens, the guy comes out and has a great year.”
Last year, Hill started 76 games and averaged 10.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He shot 44.2 percent from the field and 36.5 percent from downtown. George and Stephenson were the focal points on offense and very ball-dominant players, so Hill ended up with a very low usage rate of 14.8 percent. For comparison, George’s usage rate was 28.3 percent, Stephenson was at 19.4 percent.
Hill’s usage rate and role on the offense will obviously change next season with Stephenson’s departure and George’s injury. Even based on the increased workload alone, you can expect his peripheral numbers to improve next season. But more importantly, the Pacers will need him to be a more consistent scorer. You can see in this duel he had with Portland’s Damian Lillard last year how good Hill can be when he’s on:
Vogel seems confident from what he’s seen from Hill this summer:
One of Hill’s biggest takeaways from his time on Duncan’s team was his work ethic. Duncan was the first guy in, last one out everyday and worked harder than anyone. And he had a firm grasp of the basic fundamentals. Hill is now exhibiting some of those traits.
“The best summer that I’ve ever seen him had, in terms of work ethic,” Vogel said of Hill with a big grin. “He’s over the top right now with the hours that he’s putting in, the commitment, the movement shooting that he’s doing.
“He’s working as hard as I’ve ever seen him work, and that started the day after the season ended.”
That’s great news for the Pacers, because if they want to compete for a playoff spot next season, they’ll need Hill to have a career year. He seems ready for the challenge.
What do you think?
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