George Hill Is The Missing Piece To Utah Jazz's Playoff Puzzle

By Kareem Gantt

All the Utah Jazz needed was an experienced player to help show them how to make a proper push for the playoffs. They answered those needs and much more by acquiring George Hill from the Indiana Pacers.

The Jazz benefited from the fact that the Pacers needed a point guard to help push them back to the top of the Eastern Conference, and while the Pacers did get that player in Jeff Teague, the Jazz won out also by getting a player who will not only stabilize their shaky point guard situation but also provide this talented but young team with the veteran leadership it was lacking the past couple of seasons.

In fact, you can make the argument that the lack of a veteran presence, and point guard woes, was what stopped Utah’s almost-certain progression to the playoffs last season. The Jazz have the talent, with Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks and Rudy Gobert anchoring a stellar starting lineup.

But their point guard situation left much to be desired. Dante Exum, their top draft pick, has yet to get a handle on the NBA game, and the team played better with starter Trey Burke on the bench than they did with him on the floor.

So the Jazz were in the market for both veteran leadership and a starting point guard, and they landed both in Hill. He brings playoff knowledge to a team that is hungry for it, and he will be a nice fit on this talented roster, providing another two-way threat for Utah.

So while the Pacers did upgrade at the point guard position, the Jazz did as well. It will be interesting to see if the Jazz can make the quantum leap from being up-and-comers to being playoff contenders in 2016-17.

Share On FacebookShare StumbleUpon

You May Also Like