Player Profile: George Hill
The Cleveland Cavaliers have officially jumbled up their entire roster right before the trade deadline. Following a trade with the Lakers to bring Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. to Cleveland, the Cavs made another splash just after the clock struck one p.m.
Cleveland was involved in a three-team trade involving the Utah Jazz and Sacramento Kings. In this trade, the Cavaliers sent Derrick Rose and Jae Crowder to the Jazz where Iman Shumpert went to the Kings. In return, the Cavs gained Rodney Hood and George Hill.
George Hill is a very intriguing piece that the Cavs picked up today. After dealing Isaiah Thomas earlier in the day, the Cavs still had an open spot for a starting point guard. It will be intriguing to see how head coach Tyronn Lue handles Jordan Clarkson and George Hill in the rotations. It will be especially interesting to see which one of these two guards will win the starting job along the road.
George Hill brings the Cavaliers an established, facilitating veteran point guard. Hill is also going to do something that Isaiah Thomas did not do in his short tenure with the Cavs: defend.
Hill’s defense is going to be very attractive to many Cavs fans as he will be a solid perimeter defender and also be able to stay alongside rival guards such as Kyrie Irving and Stephen Curry. While his career stats do not show him to have an extreme amount of steals, he is going to be able to defend well on the highest of stages. Hill has become such a solid defender because he is gifted with extreme length. He has a seven-foot wingspan which is oftentimes overlooked.
From an offensive standpoint, Hill will not shoot the same questionable, ill-advised shots that Thomas had the tendency to put up. He is a very safe and smart decision maker that will be great alongside LeBron James and Kevin Love. Hill is no stranger to the big spotlight as he has played alongside Paul George with the 2013 Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Championship.
Just to sweeten the deal further, the Cavaliers were able to bring in Rodney Hood as well. The Cavaliers were able to pull this off by giving up role-players that were underachieving. Crowder and Rose had significantly underperformed throughout the first 53 games this season. Furthermore, it was a rarity just to see Iman Shumpert on the floor. Hood and Hill will provide the Cavaliers with much more meaningful production than what they gave up and that is the biggest factor in this deal.
After the whirlwind of moves that happened today, George Hill should be an extremely interesting piece. It will be exciting to watch how Lue fits Hill into the rotation. Watch for Hill to bring lockdown defense as well as effective ball movement on offense. The Cavaliers got a lot better today and George Hill could be the player to look out for as the Cavs pursue a second ring.
