George Hill arrived in Utah via trade last offseason and he’s fit in well. He helped the franchise go from an up-and-coming collection of young parts to 50-plus win playoff team. Hill, who will be a free agent at the end of the year, hopes the Jazz continue to climb the Western Conference standings and he hopes to be part of the process.
“I really enjoyed playing with the guys here. I think we created a heck of a bond: me, Gordon and Rudy,” Hill said (via Jody Genessy of the Deseret News). “We’ve created that type of bond where it’s fun to play with. We’ve got a great coaching staff and the coach believes in us and pushes us every day.
“Let’s stay together, build on what we’ve done this year,” Hill added. “Hopefully we can do that.”
Hill battled various injuries this season, forcing him to miss 33 games. The Jazz were much better with Hill in the lineup, posting an 8.6 net rating with him on the court, compared to just a 2.2 net rating with him on the bench, per NBA.com.
The point guard made $8.0MM last season in the final year of a four-year deal. He’ll likely double that salary on an annual basis in a new deal, though that’s simply my speculation.
In 49 games this season, Hill scored 16.9 points and dished out 4.1 assists. He shot 40.3% from behind the arc and sported a 19.3 player efficiency rating.