George Hill has faced many challenges over the course of his NBA career, but the 11-year guard has been tasked with a different mission this month: Getting acclimated with his new teammates in Milwaukee.
The Bucks traded for Hill as part of a three-team deal nine days ago, acquiring a veteran presence and additional player in the team’s backcourt behind Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon. Hill has already earned the respect of several young players in the locker room, including Brogdon — a former Rookie of the Year winner.
“He’s a really, really good vet on and off the floor,” Brogdon said of Hill, according to Matt Velazquez of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “He’s not one of these vets you bring in that’s a great locker-room guy. He’s a guy that’s going to contribute on the floor, lead by example with his voice, really help contribute this year. …
“He knows who he is; he’s a very confident guy, but he also knows what it takes to win. He’s been part of winning teams, winning cultures. We need someone like that in our locker room and he’s going to serve as that.”
Hill made several deep postseason runs with the Pacers before joining the Jazz in 2016. He’s also made stops with the Kings and Cavaliers, and started his NBA career under Hall of Fame coach Gregg Popovich with the Spurs. This month’s deal marked the fourth time Hill was traded in his professional career.
“For me, it’s a blessing no matter what,” Hill said. “People say, ‘Well, you’ve been sent to different places.’ To be sent to different places it means you’re wanted in different places at the same time.”
There’s more from the Central Division today:
- Pacers center Myles Turner was fined $15,000 by the NBA on Saturday for directing an inappropriate gesture toward the spectator stands. The incident occurred in the second quarter of the team’s win over the Sixers on Friday night.
- The Pistons‘ new medical team has been noticeably busy since the start of the season, Rod Beard of The Detroit News writes. Ed Stefanski, who was hired to run the team after the franchise parted ways with Stan Van Gundy, decided to go in a different direction with the training staff before the 2018/19 season began. Early injuries to Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard and others have tested the new group for the better, as detailed by Beard.
- Cavaliers guard David Nwaba is determined to fight through his knee injury, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com writes. Nwaba missed nine straight games with general soreness, but appeared in the team’s last two contests in limited time. “It’s still pretty sore. Just something I’ve got to fight through,” Nwaba said. “See if it gets better over time.”
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