Milwaukee Bucks: George Hill is the adult in the room

As the Milwaukee Bucks have dealt with early ups and downs, the veteran George Hill has been the picture of steady production and consistency.

The 2019-20 Milwaukee Bucks roster has no shortage of veteran experience and know-how, particularly after a summer where newcomers only further bolstered the reserves in that department.

For a team intent on winning a championship, that profile of role player, and having multiple of them, is incredibly important. Still, there’s no veteran more important to the Bucks than 33-year-old George Hill.

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That’s not to understate the value that vets such as Kyle Korver, Wesley Matthews, and Robin Lopez can bring to the table, but the truth is that Hill’s skills and function within the rotation leaves him with something that other trio can’t boast.

Put simply, Hill’s position, and the Bucks’ relative lack of depth at that spot, leaves a greater onus on the Indianapolis native than it does for many of Milwaukee’s more experienced contributors.

As a point guard, the ball is going to be in Hill’s hands, and with Milwaukee’s roster makeup, he’s guaranteed to play a significant share of minutes. Therefore, vocal leadership isn’t enough from Hill on any given night as he also has to do the talking with his play.

After a rough spell initially after being traded to the Bucks last season, Hill found his feet and proved that making meaningful contributions wasn’t going to be an issue for him. That led to him being handsomely rewarded for a player of his age with a new contract from the Bucks in the summer, but since the new campaign got underway there’s been no hint of that deal leading to Hill resting on his laurels.

Through six games, things are starting to look up for the 4-2 Bucks, although that’s not to suggest it’s been all smooth sailing so far. As a unit, Milwaukee is still clearly trying to figure things out, and that has led to a host of inconsistent performances individually.

Hill stands out as an exception to those early season difficulties, though, as he’s essentially picked up right where he left off with his excellent postseason play last year.

Through six games, Hill is averaging 10.0 points, 3.7 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 23.5 minutes per game. That scoring has also been impressively efficient, with Hill shooting 57.5 percent from the field, 47.1 percent from deep, which translates to a true shooting percentage of 67.6 percent.

Hill’s efficiency doesn’t end with his shooting either, as he boasts a formidable assist to turnover ratio of 11.0, having coughed the ball up just twice on the season to date.

Hill’s net rating shows that the Bucks have outscored opponents by 9.1 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, while his offensive rating of 114.6 is the best of any Buck averaging more than 15 minutes per game.

As the Bucks continue to work things out, there’s so much about their performance from night to night that’s inconsistent. But not George Hill.

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Hill has been in complete control of his game up until this point, and in turn he’s dictated much of the Bucks’ best play when he’s been on the floor. In his 12th season as a pro, Hill is the adult in the room for these Bucks, and that position is unlikely to decrease in importance as the season progresses.

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