George Hill making big imprint on the Bucks on the court and in the locker room

Matt Velazquez | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

SALT LAKE CITY – George Hill has always been a scrapper. From his roots in Indianapolis to playing college basketball at IUPUI to navigating 12 NBA seasons with six teams, the 6-foot-3 point guard has made a career out of constantly battling and giving everything he has in the pursuit of success.

In the visiting locker room at Staples Center on Wednesday night following the Milwaukee Bucks’ 129-124 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, Hill certainly looked the part of a fighter.

During the fourth quarter, while fighting through a Montrezl Harrell screen at the top of the key, Hill was on the wrong end of an errant elbow from Clippers guard Lou Williams that caught him by the right eye. Hill stayed down a few moments before going to the bench where he remained over the final 72 seconds, ultimately shaking off the pain and standing in support of his teammates.

A swollen knot by his eye wasn’t going to keep him from being there.

“It’s not the first bruise in my life,” said Hill, who bears the words “heart” and “desire” as tattoos on his triceps. “I’ve been in some fights in my neighborhood before. I’m alright.”

Before getting hit in the face, Hill was a key part of the Bucks earning the win – their fourth in a row and third straight on the road. He made a career-best six three-pointers on seven attempts for 24 points, his highest point total since joining the Bucks via trade last December.

The value of Hill’s impact Wednesday wasn’t just in his efficiency, it was in his timing, too. Time and again he came through at points where the Bucks needed someone to step up.

“It's great to have guys like that,” Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “You feel like George could be a starting point guard for a lot of teams in the NBA.”

In the first quarter with the Bucks down three and struggling to get shots to fall it was Hill who unloaded a three-pointer to stabilize things. Down two early in the second quarter, Hill almost single-handedly turned things around with a three-pointer, a steal for a basket and then another three-pointer, kickstarting what would be a 17-4 run.

When Giannis Antetokounmpo started taking over the game in the third quarter, Hill was his running mate, paying off a kick to the corner with a three and driving for two points to push the margin up to double digits. Moments before getting hit in the face, Hill flew in out of nowhere for a put-back dunk of a miss by Eric Bledsoe, putting the Bucks ahead by seven with 1 minute, 20 seconds to go.

“Just do the best I can,” Hill said. “I’m here to do anything the coach asks me to do, anything this team asks me to do – that’s me. I really don’t care if I start, if I come off the bench, if I’m playing long minutes or short minutes. You can always make an imprint on the game no matter what you do.”

Part of what the team needed Hill to do on Wednesday had nothing to do with what he did on the court. Rather, it was his leadership and encouragement that helped Antetokounmpo to a career-best shooting night.

Despite Antetokounmpo shooting just 17.4% from three-point range over the first seven games, Antetokounmpo fired away at Staples Center, tying his career-high with four three-pointers on seven attempts. When asked about it after the game, the first words out of the reigning MVP’s mouth were, “George Hill,” as he credited his veteran teammate with pushing him to keep shooting.

“When he really misses bad it’s because he’s overthinking his shot,” Hill said. “I told him no matter makes or misses he has to take them with confidence and that’s only going to help his confidence.”

When Hill first joined the Bucks last season, he spent the first few weeks feeling things out. He quietly surveyed the situation both on the court and in the locker room and tried his best not to disturb the balance of a team that he clearly saw was working toward something special.

Over time, Hill began to defer less on the court and embrace a critical sixth-man role, something that has become even more vital after the Bucks traded Malcolm Brogdon this summer. Through eight games, Hill is averaging 11.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game while shooting 58.6% from the field and 60.0% from three-point range – the best percentage of anyone in the league with 15 or more three-point attempts heading into Thursday’s games.

Heading into Friday’s 8 p.m. game against the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena, Hill’s willingness to do whatever it takes for the Bucks has been invaluable to the team’s 6-2 start. He’s been malleable, accepting whatever role he’s asked to play and through his actions and his voice has established himself as a steady, leading presence on the court and off it.

“He’s got a great ability to kind of mix in and fit in,” Budenholzer said. “He’s been with a lot of really good teams, a lot of great players. He’s very comfortable being on a good team and with great players and playing in big games. Then in the locker room and away from the court, his voice in timeouts and practices and film sessions – he’s brought some leadership to us.

“I always say what’s great about his leadership is the players really take to him, they like him. He’s a likable guy, kind of ego-less and just wants us to win, wants everybody to do well. He’s been a huge, huge pickup for us. I think it’s great that Jon (Horst) could re-sign him this summer. He wanted to come back.”