The Utah Jazz made the move to acquire George Hill in a three-team deal with the Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks during the offseason. They moved a lottery pick, which many thought would be a bad move in the grand scheme of things. Now that Hill has played some games with the Jazz, people may be changing their minds.
At the very least, the Jazz front office is prioritizing a contract extension for Hill. According to a report from ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Jazz are putting an extension for Hill above extending star big man Derrick Favors. That piece of news alone shows just how much Utah values their new point guard.
Hill has played in seven games for the Jazz so far this season. He has suffered through some nagging injuries already, which was an issue for him during his tenure with the Pacers.
Jazz Prioritizing Extension For George Hill Over Derrick Favors: https://t.co/WHKEuUO4BV pic.twitter.com/bNN2YRyk5I
— RealGM (@RealGM) November 18, 2016
Through the seven games that he has played, Hill has averaged 20.4 points, 5.0 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. He has shot 54.1 percent from the field overall and knocked down 43.2 percent of his looks from beyond the three-point arc.
Needless to say, Pacers fans are wondering where those numbers and that aggressiveness were over the past few seasons.
Looking ahead at the future for Hill with the Jazz, he is 30-years-old with plenty of basketball left to play. He can be the starting point guard for the Jazz for years to come if they choose to go that route with him.
Utah is one of the more intriguing teams in the NBA this season. They hold a 7-6 record at this point in the year, which is good enough for just ninth place in the Western Conference standings. After a big step in the right direction last season, the Jazz are viewed as a team that has a good shot to take the next step and make the playoffs this year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syqTJ2NScF4
Quin Snyder has to feel excited about the team that his front office put together for him. Adding a player who is performing like Hill has so far this season could be exactly what takes Utah into the postseason when everything is said and done.
All of that being said, it will be interesting to see if Hill and the Jazz work out an extension. Hill may decide to go into free agency and test his value on the open market. Many believe that he will look to return to the San Antonio Spurs if he gets the chance, which is where he started his career.
Expect to hear more about a potential contract extension for George Hill in the near future.
