While the Milwaukee Bucks were able to retain most of their one-seeded squad (including George Hill) that helped their team dominate the East in the regular season, they lost one key piece in Malcolm Brogdon. Even though Brogdon wasn't healthy all of last season, he was an avid shot creator in Milwaukee and a quality defender who could be relied upon in crunch time.
With the sustained success of last season and the loss of Brogdon, the Bucks almost had no choice but sign free agents such as Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez to long-term deals to keep the majority of their core talent while they still have superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo under contract.
One key piece that the Bucks also resigned this offseason was Hill, as Milwaukee was able to re-sign the 33-year-old point guard to a 3-year, 29 million dollar deal earlier this offseason.
While the veteran's fantasy basketball numbers are not looking pretty these days, the amount of big games he has played in is invaluable to this young Bucks team, and advanced statistics prove that his impact on the floor goes far beyond just points and assists.
Last season, the Bucks played a unique five-man rotation (Hill, Antetokounmpo, Middleton, Lopez and Eric Bledsoe) for only 33 total minutes, but in that small sample size, that lineup had the second best net rating and best defensive rating among lineups with at least 30 minutes played. While those ratings won't be as efficient with more time, the dominance that they bring on both sides of floor should still be felt.
The four-man group of Antetokounmpo-Middleton-Lopez-Hill also had success last season, as that trio was ranked third last season in point differential. And the first two ranked foursomes each featured Brogdon, who should have his past minutes eaten up by Hill.
It's obviously clear that Hill is no longer in his prime, as nowadays it's a bit of a surprise if he scores double-digit points in a game. However, it is good to see that over the past five seasons, Hill's rebounds, assists, and steals have remained consistent, meaning he can be trusted to be more than just a scorer.
It's also important to note that Hill has been around the NBA block, and amongst everyone in the Bucks rotation, he has the most experience and can provide veteran leadership to a young squad in need of it to pair with their youthful energy.
Hill has proven that he can be a winning piece in multiple situations, as he found success in the late 2000s with the San Antonio Spurs, started the point for an Indiana Pacers team that almost played spoiler to the Miami Heat mini-dynasty multiple times, and played meaningful minutes for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2018 NBA Finals.
That reliability in the playoffs is why it was ultimately worth it for the Bucks to re-sign him earlier this season. He does have a bit of a stat boost in the playoffs, averaging 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists when the lights become a little brighter in the postseason.
While those numbers aren't mind-blowing, Hill knows his role as a solid role player who can contribute off the bench and provide crunch-time minutes when called upon. The luxury of having Hill come off the bench should help the Bucks continue their success earn their second consecutive one seed in the Eastern Conference. Maybe a deeper postseason run is in order as well if Hill can stay healthy and have a late-career resurgence.
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