The Utah Jazz made one of their most important signings this offseason on veteran point guard George Hill. The pride of IUPUI made his mark as one of the favorites of coach Gregg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs, then landing in Indiana, where he was the Pacers‘ starter during four of his five seasons there.
Hill was given the keys to the starting point guard position and he responded by averaging 20.4 points and five assists per game during the first seven games of the season. The 6-foot-3 guard then suffered a thumb injury which has kept him from playing.
Despite that, his leadership in this team has been the key reason why they've been off to a 7-5 start in a very competitive Western Conference.
“They said that’s one thing they wanted more of — a vocal leader here,” Hill told Jody Genessy of The Deseret News. “I think Gordon (Hayward) is a great leader, but he’s more of a lead by example. He’s a very quiet guy, but he works extremely hard and everyone sees that. Everyone feeds off of that, but I’m just trying to bring a different aspect. He’s a lead-by-example-type of a guy. I’m a lead-by-example guy but also vocal because I’m the point guard. You need the point guard to be vocal. That’s my job and that’s all I’m trying to do here.”
Hill is a veteran that has worked his way from an All-Star's backup to a bonafide starter. His team-first mentality and ultimate unselfishness has made him not only a locker room favorite, but also a coach's dream. Young pieces like Dante Exum and Rodney Hood have taken a lot in from his teachings as they look to carve themselves a niche in this league.
Utah has an influx of youth and raw talent that could make an interesting come season's end. While the team has struggled with injuries, once healthy, they should make some noise in the West's standings.
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