Milwaukee Bucks: George Hill’s ever-growing importance to playoff campaign

George Hill has been a standout contributor on the Milwaukee Bucks’ bench over the past couple of months, and that needs to continue against the Boston Celtics.

When he arrived via trade back in December, George Hill didn’t necessarily make an immediate impact with the Milwaukee Bucks. Hill had come from a rebuilding situation in Cleveland, but with the Bucks already established as one of the league’s better teams, he at least had the luxury of taking some time to settle in to his new surroundings.

Luckily for the Bucks, by the time Mike Budenholzer needed him to step up in light of injuries to key players, Hill was very much ready.

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The 32-year-old guard finished the regular season in stellar form, producing some of his best scoring performances of his tenure with Milwaukee, while also further consolidating his status as one of the team’s most impactful individual defenders.

Hill finished the regular season as the only Buck who played over 40 games to compile a defensive rating below 100, clocking in at a particularly stout 98.3.

As if that wasn’t impressive enough, Hill only built on that defensive success further in Milwaukee’s first round sweep of the Detroit Pistons. In 92 minutes of action in the first round, the Bucks kept the Pistons to just 84.7 points per 100 possessions when Hill was on the floor. Unsurprisingly, that was a team-best mark once again.

Speaking to Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel following the Bucks’ Game 1 win over the Pistons, Hill opened up about the process of finding his role with his new team, and how the pieces were all starting to fall into place for him now.

"“Sometimes it takes guys time to get acclimated, especially to a good team. You try to find out what’s going to be your role on the team that’s already good. How to not mess up what they’ve got going on but also add myself into the mix. It kind of took a minute, but I’m starting to feel more at home now and more like myself.”"

That certainly offered a welcome boost to the Bucks in their series against the Pistons, but as the final result proved, that series was already a formality in many respects. Milwaukee’s second round clash with the Celtics will be a very different story.

When the Bucks lost to the Celtics in seven games a year ago, Terry Rozier proved to be a thorn in Milwaukee’s side, while they didn’t even have to worry about a sidelined Kyrie Irving. This time around, the hope will be that dramatically improved performances from Eric Bledsoe will help to nullify the Celtics’ backcourt threats, but Hill will be called upon to provide meaningful contributions too.

If that wasn’t already clear enough, Thursday’s news that Malcolm Brogdon‘s injury will keep him out for at least two more games certainly highlighted the importance of Hill’s steady backcourt contributions once again.

With Pau Gasol sidelined with a foot injury, Hill will quite comfortably boast the most playoff experience of any Buck who will see action against Boston.

The Indianapolis native has 106 playoff appearances to his name to date, taking in postseason action with the Spurs, Pacers, Cavaliers, and now the Bucks. Those campaigns have included trips to the Conference Finals with Indiana and a Finals appearance with the Cavaliers last season.

That experience will be invaluable to Milwaukee, but it won’t be enough in its own right. The Bucks will need Hill to create for teammates, score his own share of points, and maintain his sensational defensive play.

On recent evidence, there’s no reason to believe he won’t be up to that task, and a strong series from Hill could certainly play a major role in swinging the result in Milwaukee’s favor.