The Atlanta Hawks have added several players to their roster just over the course of the past year, but they have long had an issue with adding the proper depth behind face of the franchise Trae Young.
Even when factoring in the fact that the Hawks have had a heliocentric offense that centers around their star point guard, this has been a major reason that the team often looks out-of-sorts when Young is off the floor. As a result, amid the Hawks roster tinkering, they need to bring in a point guard that they can trust to at least initiate an offense when Trae is on the bench.
To that point, a veteran point guard may be best. Not so much for what they could show Trae Young or Dejounte Murray, two of the best facilitators in the league, but because they need another locker room leader.
Among the problems the Hawks had last season, a lack of camaraderie, accountability and leadership may have been the most damning, helping lead to the dismissal of former head coach Nate McMillan in what wasn't really a fun season for anyone.
Consequently, the best low-risk and affordable free agent option for the Hawks could be… George Hill.
What George Hill brings to the Hawks
Leadership
Prior to acquiring Rudy Gay in the trade package the Utah Jazz sent for John Collins, 37-year-old George Hill would be the oldest player on the Atlanta Hawks roster by a country mile.
However, that's exactly what the Hawks need on a roster that seems to only be getting younger despite adding the 36-year-old Gay. Particularly when considering the possibility that Atlanta eventually waives or trades Gay, now on a $6.5 million expiring contract, amid his decline. To that point, while Gay could do so as well, Hill fills an important role as a locker room leader that every player should feel comfortable coming to.
Last season, leadership and camaraderie seemed to be lacking among the Hawks, leading to what appeared to be — from the outside looking in — a power struggle between Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and Nate McMillan. Hill, as fair and mature as they come, could help smooth over potential tensions when they do arise. Including those that may eventually come from Hawks head coach Quin Snyder, who coached Hill while they were both with the Jazz in the 2016-17 season.
Experience
Building off of the previous theme, George Hill is a 15-year NBA veteran that's played 915 regular season games, 144 playoff games (ranked 59th in NBA history), and 28,845 minutes between both while suiting up for six different franchises. He also played four years in college before even entering the NBA, giving him nearly two decades worth of experience playing high-level basketball.
There may be other veteran point guards out there that can produce more at this stage of their careers, such as 2008 No. 9 pick D.J. Augustin, but not many of them will be as accomplished as Hill.
To that point, the fact that Hill plays both guard positions is significant in regard to his experience as well. Although Young has a natural playmaking ability and Murray often operates as the primary facilitator, they have no player behind them that they can rely on to be a lead initiator and get his teammates in the right position. Though not an upper-echelon passer, his basketball IQ could provide the Hawks with an underrated boost.
Marksmanship
George Hill is well past his prime but, with jump shooting among the basketball skills that age doesn't dramatically effect, his career regular season 3-point percentage (38.0) and postseason 3-point percentage (37.2) are still significant. On a team where he would be unlikely to play a substantial number of minutes even if he was in the rotation, Hill provides value just by being an off-ball threat that defenses have to respect.
Yet, as Hill averaged 16.9 points per game and shot 40.3 percent in the 2016-17 regular season while playing for the Utah Jazz under Quin Snyder, the Atlanta Hawks might get a little more out of his shooting touch than that.
In any case, Hill is sure to be a fit when he steps on the court and could legitimately improve the marksmanship of a team that only made 35.2 percent of their 3-point attempts last season (ranked 21st in the NBA).
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