George Hill’s Seamless Return
After an eight-game absence in which he was desperately missed, George Hill finally returned to action on Wednesday night against the Denver Nuggets. Seeing the way his thumb was bandaged up and considering how long he had been out, there were definitely a lot of questions surrounding his return.
Will his shot be affected? Is he risking re-aggravating the injury? Will he be the same George Hill that came up so big for the Jazz earlier in the season?
Fortunately, the answer to the latter of those three questions was a resounding, YES!
22 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 3 3-pointers - 28 minutes.
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 24, 2016
Good to have you back, George! pic.twitter.com/VHJ5293oZh
Despite the extended absence, George Hill didn’t skip a beat in his return to action as he put up a team-high (tied with Gordon Hayward) 22 points and continued his incredible shooting going 61.5 percent from the field and 50 percent from deep.
On the year, Hill is currently shooting 55 percent from the field, 44.2 percent from deep and 85.7 percent from the free throw line, a mere 4.3 percent on his free throw shooting away from reaching the highly acclaimed 50-40-90 club. To say that he was missed would be a tragic understatement.
.@George_Hill3 was awesome in his return - with 22 points (8/13 fg), 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. #TakeNote#DENatUTA https://t.co/HNl40W833n
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 24, 2016
But stats alone don’t tell the full story. Hill’s veteran presence, ability to control the flow of the game and relentless effort on both ends of the floor have been the glue that has kept this team together and has made them a formidable opponent.
His nearly seamless return to action in Wednesday’s win was an incredibly positive takeaway and should have Jazz fans feeling good again about what’s in store for the team.