Candace Buckner

IndyStar

Pacers at Hawks, 7 p.m. Friday, FSI, ESPN

ATLANTA — Through the ambiguous beginnings of the Indiana Pacers’ 2015-16 season, George Hill understood two things. The best player had returned and the team had added another playmaker to the cocktail, so Hill figured he would be most helpful if he got out of their way.

Thus, the mindset of one of the league’s best corner shooters was formed.

“I really didn’t know coming into this summer what my role was going to be from last year to this year,” Hill said Thursday. “That’s why this summer I spent a lot of time on just trying to be a spot shooter, knowing that the ball is going to be in Paul (George's) hands more and Monta (Ellis') hands more.”

Last season, George’s injury allowed Hill to blossom as a ball handler and playmaker. Now nearly 50 games into the current season with Ellis and a healthy George, Hill’s role has scaled back but his production remains high with a .443 percentage from 3-point range, which would be the fourth-highest in Pacers’ franchise history for a single season.

“Coach just told me he wanted me to be a laser this year,” Hill said.

Paul George: 'This team can be pretty scary'

Hill used those words from the summer to help understand his role by the start of November. So this season, among players who have made at least 42 appearances and average 28 minutes per game, Hill owns the NBA’s third-highest catch-and-shoot 3-point percentage (.500). This touch was on display last week when Indiana faced the Atlanta Hawks, the opponent Friday night (7 p.m., FSI, ESPN). During the 111-92 win, Hill made 7-of-9 shots, including three 3-pointers on catch-and-shoot sequences.

Even more, Hill has made his home beyond the corner arc. According to the statistical site NBAMiner.com, Hill shoots 50 percent from the left corner arc and more than 44 percent from the opposite side.

“He’s shooting the ball well,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. “That’s needed because, obviously, we have Paul George back this year and we have Monta and we’re putting the ball in his hands a ton so (Hill’s) ability to play off the ball makes him invaluable really to what we’re doing.”

The key for Hill just may be his conservatism — which seems contradictory to say about a guy who dyed his hair blond. But in spite of Hill’s flair for flamboyant looks, his game reveals a nature to be a background player in the Pacers’ grand production.

The team’s top four wings (George, Ellis, C.J. Miles and Rodney Stuckey) all have higher usage percentages, a statistic that measures the frequency of plays involving a player while on the floor. Compared to George, who leads the Pacers with a 30.0 usage percentage, Hill registers at 16.2 percent — even lower than sometimes-starting big man Jordan Hill (19.9). Still, it must be noted how George Hill makes the most of his limited opportunities.

While articulating his role for the season, Hill starts with being a leader, ahead of taking spot-up shots. Last on his list, Hill mentions attacking. As the Pacers are just now establishing an identity, Hill appears secured in his.

“I just do my job,” Hill said. “If all of us were trying to handle the ball at the same time, then we’d have a problem.

“My job is just to be a spot shooter,” Hill continued, “just be that laser from the outside where it opens the floor for Paul and Monta to create.”

Follow IndyStar reporter Candace Buckner on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.

Pacers' top 3-point shooters

The Pacers' top single-season 3-point shooters:

INDIANA vs ATLANTA

Tipoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Phillips Arena, Atlanta.

TV: FSI, ESPN.

Radio: 1070 AM, 93.5 FM.



Pacers (26-23)

Pos;Player;PPG;Key stat

PG; George Hill; 13.0 ppg; .443 3-pt FG%

SG; Monta Ellis; 14.3 ppg; 5.0 apg

SF; Paul George; 23.1 ppg; 7.0 rpg

PF; Myles Turner; 9.5 ppg; 4.6 rpg

C; Jordan Hill; 9.5 ppg; 6.8 rpg

6th; C.J. Miles; 12.3 ppg; .354 3-pt FG%



Hawks (29-22)

PG; Jeff Teague; 14.8 ppg; 5.5 apg

SG; Kyle Korver; 9.2 ppg; 3.4 rpg

SF; Kent Bazemore; 12.5 ppg; 4.8 rpg

PF; Paul Millsap; 17.7 ppg; 8.7 rpg

C; Al Horford; 15.0 ppg; 6.9 rpg

6th; Dennis Schröder; 10.8 ppg; 4.5 apg

STORYLINES



• MAHINMI STILL REHABBING BACK: Pacers center Ian Mahinmi remains in Indianapolis and will miss his fourth straight game with a sore lower back. Pacers coach Frank Vogel said it’s “possible” Mahinmi will play Saturday when the Pacers return home to face the Detroit Pistons. Due to Mahimi’s injury, the Pacers have played just one game with the new starting lineup in tact.



• PAYING FOR MISTAKES: While Indiana outscores opponents by more than three points per game from turnovers, according to STATS LLC, the Hawks rank second in the NBA with an average of 19.3 points off turnovers. In 22 games this season, Atlanta has scored 20 or more points off opponents’ mistakes.



• HE SAID WHAT?!: "I think the sky’s the limit, but it’s all got to come together. That’s a lot of ‘ifs’ and we all got to work diligently that it all comes together.” – Vogel adding his two cents to Paul George’s comment after the Brooklyn win. George pitched several hypotheticals — for instance, if he and C.J. Miles get hot and Turner continues to blossom — but said the Pacers could be “scary.”



• PREDICTION: The Hawks have looked “scary” in their last two wins, in averaging 118 points with a .523 shooting percentage. In recent history, the Pacers have struggled to win regular-season games in Atlanta. Also as the team faces the best opponent in this three-game-in-four-night stretch, things could be even more challenging. Even so, the Pacers have handled the Hawks just fine this season, holding them to 92 points or fewer in the two previous wins. Indiana wins 101-98.

— Candace Buckner

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