Milwaukee Bucks: The early glimpses of George Hill’s impact

While he’s had to make clear adjustments in his reserve role, veteran guard George Hill has helped solidify the Milwaukee Bucks in underlying ways since arriving via trade in early December.

When the Milwaukee Bucks made the surprising move to deal both Matthew Dellavedova and John Henson to the Cleveland Cavaliers in early December, it was very clear to see the appeal behind the decision from their perspective.

Considering the number of free agency questions that they are facing next summer, which include four of their five regular starters, with the exception of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, the financial relief the Bucks received by jettisoning both veterans’ salaries off their books gives them more room to keep that unit intact or even chase bigger fish, if they so choose.

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But beyond the future flexibility that served as their primary motive behind the deal, netting a useful veteran player such as George Hill also filled a need for another depth piece in the short-term on the Bucks’ roster.

The player archetype Hill has assumed throughout his 11-year career has long made him an ideal player to have alongside someone of Antetokounmpo’s talents well before his arrival nearly two months into this season.

That vision has mostly come to fruition, though Hill’s raw stats would paint a much different story regarding his Bucks introduction.

Hill’s individual offense has yet to fully blossom in his combo guard role off the bench, considering he’s just averaging 5.4 points on shooting splits of .393/.269/.571 in his 11 Bucks appearances so far.

Beyond that element, Hill has quite visibly had to acclimate to the Bucks’ free flowing, spaced out offensive system, which may speak to the little practice time he had initially with his new squad in the opening days of his time in Milwaukee.

In spite of all of that, inserting a versatile, experienced player of Hill’s caliber within the Bucks’ rotation stands as one vital component for how the team’s play from up and down the roster has been strengthened on both ends of the floor.

For example, Hill holds the highest net rating of any Bucks player currently seeing regular minutes at +15.1 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com/stats. Although the Bucks’ offensive production with Hill on the floor roughly falls in line with what they have produced throughout the season to this point, it’s been on the defensive end where Hill’s presence has reinvigorated their play and helped the team tap in their elite potential on that end of the floor.

In the 232 minutes he’s played so far in a Bucks uniform, Hill is posting a 96.2 defensive rating. In the 296 minutes he’s been on the bench since joining the team, the Bucks’ defensive efficiency tumbles down to a still very good 101.2 points per 100 possessions.

A key behind the defensive success the Bucks are experiencing with Hill on the court comes down to their defending of the three, considering Bucks opponents are hitting on just 29.7 percent of their three-point attempts with the Indiana native on the floor (Hill also holds a 30.4 defended field goal percentage on opposing three-point attempts). Without Hill, opposing teams are connecting on 42 percent of their triple attempts on the Bucks.

Going from an elite defensive team with Hill on the floor to a still very stout defensive unit when Hill is on the bench is essentially a first world problem for a Bucks team that currently holds the best record in all of the NBA. Regardless, adding Hill’s sharp defensive IQ as well as athletic and physical qualities has been one key development in the Bucks deploying a truly promising, stalwart defensive quartet off their bench.

In the 25 minutes the 32-year-old Hill has shared with third-year big man Thon Maker as well as second-year players Sterling Brown and a sudden Most Improved Player candidate in D.J. Wilson (semi-kidding), that lineup is currently tallying a 73.7 defensive rating and is putting up a 39.3 net rating.

Variations on that four-man unit plus one Bucks starter have all seen the same level of gaudy success and while other factors have clearly come into play for why that is, Hill’s defensive capabilities have been instrumental in making that so as well.

Although he has taken his early lumps, such as recording an 0-of-6 outing from the field in a win over the Detroit Pistons, the early returns on Hill’s arrival to Milwaukee have been far more intriguing for reasons that don’t necessarily pop out in the moment.