NBA: The 10 Most Underrated Players Of 2016-17
By Evan Dyal
The Solid and Steady Point Guards
1.George Hill, Utah Jazz
The Utah’s Jazz record when George Hill Plays is 22-8, without him it is 12-13. I already wrote about Rudy Gobert, and the Jazz have a legit all-star in Gordon Hayward, but George Hill is the most important player to this team. That’s because Hill runs the show, he has extensive playoff experience from his time in San Antonio and Indiana, and there is nothing he hasn’t seen before.
You can see it in his game, he boasts a solid 2.8 assist to turnover ratio and rarely makes a mistake. He is shooting 40 percent from three and is just as good shooting off the dribble as he is in catch and shoot situations. His 17.7 points per game are a career high. He has become more of an efficient scorer, by becoming a better three-point shooter and getting more aggressive in getting to the lane to draw contact.
His 4.2 FTA per game are a career high. Gordon Hayward is the Jazz’s primary option on offense, but George Hill is an excellent number two. While he’s not a great passer, he is really good, but he’s actually better as a scorer.
This is why the Jazz were such a great fit for him, as they were starving for a secondary scorer. As I mentioned earlier the Jazz have the third best defense in the league, and Gobert is the anchor. Hill is the head of the snake, at 6’3 with long arms he can harass opposing point guards, and can even guard a lot of 2’s. Solid, consistent and efficient are the three words that describe Hill. Utah is thinking big this year, and Hill is a big reason.