Ranking the Five Best Utah Jazz Performances From Tip-Off Week

Oct 28, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) is congratulated by guard George Hill (3) after a basket and a foul in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 28, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz forward Derrick Favors (15) is congratulated by guard George Hill (3) after a basket and a foul in the second quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports
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Utah Jazz George Hill Rudy Gobert L.A. Lakers
Oct 28, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard George Hill (3) dribbles past Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell (1) with help from teammate center Rudy Gobert (27) in the third quarter at Vivint Smart Home Arena. The Utah Jazz defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 96-89. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

2) George Hill Leads Jazz Past Lakers

Final Stat Line: 35 MIN, 23 PTS, 7-14 FG, 3 REB, 3 AST

Throughout the early season for the Jazz, one thing has been constant — George Hill has been awesome. Much has been made of Hood’s need to step up while Hayward is out, but Hill has been Utah’s steadiest hand in the early going.

While Favors’ emotional debut and Gobert’s play down low were key in getting the Jazz their first win, Hill was the head of the spear in the game. The box score looked nice; 23 points on just 14 field goal attempts. It was an efficient performance by any metric.

However, a lot of what Hill did against the Lakers goes beyond what shows up in the stat sheet.

He was disruptive defensively, using his length to clog up passing lines, get deflections and deny spots to the opposition. And while he registered just three assists, he was the general on the floor when the Jazz ran their offense.

It’s early yet, but Hill is already looking like one of the best offseason acquisitions in the NBA.

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