After an excellent and enthusiastic media day showing, Utah Jazz fans should be thrilled about what newcomer George Hill will bring to the team in 2016-17.
NBA Media Day is an incredible time of anticipation and excitement. As every team turns a new page and looks ahead to the new season, a seemingly infinite number of positive outcomes seem plausible. Hope and optimism abound and the lovely 0-0 record seems to still indicate that anything is possible.
Yet, as we all know, the hype and anticipation surrounding media day quickly fizzles out for many teams as it becomes apparent which are legitimate contenders and which will simply have to invoke the age-old adage, “There’s always next year.”
While that quote has become a mainstay in the households of Utah Jazz fans (heck, it could even be framed on mantles above the fireplace), 2016-17 seems to have just a bit more promise than years past.
That promise comes in the form of heightened experience from the young core, the return of formerly injured players such as Alec Burks and Dante Exum, and newly acquired veterans Boris Diaw, Joe Johnson and George Hill.
The latter of those three newcomers, former Indiana Pacer George Hill, just so happened to give one of my favorite quotes from Utah Jazz Media Day:
“If you put 15 guys that are willing to win and willing to play together, that’s a team that’s going to be scary.”
“If you put 15 guys that are willing to win and willing to play together, that’s a team that’s going to be scary.” – George Hill
This quote seems to perfectly describe the mantra of the Utah Jazz. Their whole is greater than the sum of their parts. As long as they play with determination, togetherness and focus, their combination of youth and experience could turn them into something truly special.
While no one player sets himself apart as the team’s star, as a group, they have all the ingredients to become spectacular, or scary, as Hill appropriately put it.
And perhaps more than anyone else, Hill will brings some of that experience and cohesiveness to this squad. Hill has always been described as a team player with a dedicated, no-nonsense kind of work ethic. Chemistry-wise, he should fit in seamlessly. Skill-wise, he will be an enormous step up from recent Jazz point guards.
He had several quotes from media day that show that he is ready to bring in all those positive qualities and to begin boosting the Jazz right away. Many of the following come from his interview with The Zone Sports Network; if you haven’t checked it out in its entirety, it’s a great listen that you can access here.
Hill touched several times on a commitment to making the playoffs, saying, “Our goal is to make the playoffs. Anything less is not a good season for us.”
“Our goal is to make the playoffs. Anything less is not a good season for us.” – George Hill
He built on this by touching on the fact that he has qualified for playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons, the only miss coming in a year where he himself missed 41 games with a torn quad and the team’s star Paul George missed all but the final six games of the season after suffering a broken leg.
This consistent playoff qualification has instilled a fire and a hunger in Hill that will pay enormous dividends for Utah should it rub off on the team even just a little bit. When asked about how it felt the year he missed the playoffs, he said “I’m not used to that feeling. I never want to feel that again because it wasn’t fun at all…That’s our goal here, we’ve got to get back to the promised land and play good playoff basketball here in Utah.”
Something that has been noticeably absent from Jazz teams in recent years has been that win or die desire that’s necessary for a team to take the next step. That isn’t to say that the Jazz haven’t wanted to make the playoffs or haven’t tried hard, but battle-hardened, former Eastern Conference Championship-experienced players like Hill that truly drive that passion home will be monumental for a young Utah team.
“That’s our goal here, we’ve got to get back to the promised land and play good playoff basketball here in Utah.” – George Hill
And speaking of the youth on the team and how the older Hill will fit in with them, he showed nothing but excitement about serving as a veteran leader. When asked if he’s excited about his role on the team, he replied emphatically, “Definitely so.”
While Hill will be a leader for the entire team, perhaps the most important influence he will have will be on Dante Exum. With both point guards having similar builds and styles, Hill could definitely teach Exum a thing or two about the best way to advance and improve in the league.
Hill had nothing but high praise for Exum in his media day interviews, saying the “sky is the limit” for the young guard out of Australia and highlighting the upside in his game. It seems all the great players typically attribute their success to the great mentors who have helped them to forge their craft. It wouldn’t be surprising to hear Exum praising Hill a few years down the road for helping him to reach new heights in his game.
While Hill’s optimism, drive to make the playoffs, experience and willingness to be a leader are all crucial, perhaps one of the most important, albeit undervalued, traits that Hill exhibited at media day was his simple yet sincere excitement to be a member of the Utah Jazz.
Though the trade from the Pacers to the Jazz certainly came as a surprise, he mentioned that he hadn’t viewed it as anything other than exciting. Ironically, he had been in Utah working with athletes at Lone Peak High School just a couple of weeks before the trade and they had jokingly asked him to come play for the Jazz.
That joke would soon become a reality.
In describing working with those high school athletes and throughout Hill’s interviews he consistently brought up how exciting it is for him to be in Utah. He praised head coach Quin Snyder who he knew from their shared time in San Antonio, praised his teammates, both those already on the team as well as newcomers Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw, and he even praised Salt Lake City, considering it a “blessing” to be in a new city and to meet new people.
“ become appreciated in another city other than where you grew up is always a blessing. And to see how family-oriented it is and all the kids here that the players and stuff have, it’s something that’s awesome.”
“ become appreciated in another city other than where you grew up is always a blessing.” – George Hill
While many players have spurned or insulted Salt Lake City and the Jazz organization (*cough Enes Kanter cough cough*), it’s always refreshing to see a guy like George Hill love it for what it is. Not only does he have great respect for some of the organization’s leaders such as Snyder and Dennis Lindsey, but his appreciation of the family-oriented culture within the Jazz team and beyond indicate that he is well on his way to being an excellent fit with the blue, green and gold.
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So for the select few that still weren’t convinced or excited about George Hill joining the Jazz roster this upcoming season, hopefully his excellent media day showing will further convince you otherwise. Hill is a consummate pro and a stand-out person that should elevate the Utah Jazz to new heights both on and off the court.
As the Jazz aim to turn the corner this year and finally make a return to the playoffs, expect Hill’s confidence and optimism to play an enormous role in turning Utah’s media day hype into a reality.