Jordan Hill's minutes were spotty last season. There were some games that he didn't even play in because of coach decision.
Jordan Hill is a capable rebounder, he averaged 10 per 36 mins last year. If he gets minutes' he'll rebound. His problem is little things, that add up to big things. He frequently gets lost on defense, or gets out of position for a rebound. Same thing on the offensive end. Everything he does is on raw talent. All his mistakes, despite his talent, make him a major negative impact on the court. He's just not that smart, and you can't fix stupid. His adjusted plus minus last year was an astonishing -12 I hope I'm wrong because the talent is there. Him and Terrance Williams are both in that boat. I think they should both get major playing time this year because of that, we're not going anywhere, so lets see if we have something.
The hands-on approach of McHale has already helped him in my opinion, and that's with only a week of being with him. I imagine that under a full (albeit abridged) season and a full training camp with McHale, Hill will have the capability to be a legitimate starter in this league. So basically, I'm not jumping on this crazy train just yet, but I am willing to wait it out.
I believe he can maintain this level of play through the season. Why? Not once did I see him flinch or look surprised at all the great plays he did tonight. Everything looked natural as if he knows the result. That's telling that it's skill, something you can summon at will.
I'd really like to see Hill bulk up. If he got to the size and strength of howard, nene, etc, he could be a much more dominate post player. He's too skinny right now.
If one monster preseason game could earn Kelvin Cato a 6 year, $42 million extension, then this game should have earned JHill having his option picked up.
That is not taking into account the personal problems that Jordan Hill was going through last season...
10 and 8 would be a great improvement for Hill this season. Thabeet still has a ways to go especially with conditioning, but at least he's showing some sort of improvement.
People tend to forget that Jordan got a late start playing basketball. He has the talent but he is just a little rough around the edges. Give Mchale some more time to work with him and he will keep improving. It's too early to make predictions on what he will average for the season but I do believe he will consistently improve throughout the season.
At one time there were comparisons made to Carl Landry and Karl Malone. I think of T-Will, Hill, and Thabeet, Hill is most likely to be a fixture in the rotation.
