Revisiting George Hill-For-Jeff Teague Trade

Last summer, the Indiana Pacers traded George Hill for Jeff Teague in an effort to add additional athleticism and playmaking to the point guard position. A season later, let’s take a look at how this deal has worked out so far for both teams.

Larry Bird has been trying for two years to move the Indiana Pacers toward a more up-tempo style of play. He has made numerous roster moves in order to build a team that fits that profile.

Mobile center Myles Turner was drafted and players such as Monta Ellis and Thaddeus Young were acquired via trade — all to satisfy Bird’s vision of having a core group of players who can play fast and score effectively.

The final piece to that puzzle was obtained on July 7 when the Pacers entered into a three-team trade with the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks.

Indiana traded George Hill to the Jazz, while the Hawks sent Jeff Teague to the Pacers. Atlanta came out of the deal with rookie draft pick Taurean Prince, courtesy of Utah.

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Bird brought Teague to Indiana because he wanted (in his own words) a “real” point guard; someone who has quickness, speed and the ability to facilitate a fast-paced offense.

Now that the 2016-17 regular season is coming to a close, we can look back at the Hill/Teague trade and see how both teams have fared to this point.

George Hill has had a terrific season in Utah, averaging 16.9 points, 4.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game for a very good Jazz team (currently tied for fourth place in the West).

Hill has given Utah a steady veteran presence at the point guard position and he’s played at close to an All-Star level for much of the season.

When evaluating this trade from Indiana’s point of view, however, it is not so much what Hill has done for the Jazz, but what Teague has done for the Pacers in comparison to what Hill contributed when he was in Indiana.

Here is a statistical comparison (from Basketball-Reference.com) of Teague’s 2016-17 campaign against Hill’s final season as a Pacer (2015-16):

Hill’s three-point percentage and effective field goal percentage were superior to what Teague has provided this season.

However, Teague has been a much better free-throw shooter and he’s been a more potent scorer in addition to posting a more efficient assist-to-turnover ratio.

Interestingly, the Pacers were 11th in the NBA in pace last year, as compared to 17th in 2016-17. One thing Teague has not  been able to do is allow Indiana to play at a more crisp tempo, as Bird had envisioned.

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Defense is hard to quantify, but one of the better metrics available for that purpose is NBA Real Plus-Minus (via ESPN). In terms of Defensive Plus-Minus, Hill ranked 13th among point guards last season; Teague is rated 25th in that same category in 2016-17.

Teague has posted a superior on court/off court number this season in comparison to Hill’s tally from 2015-16. According to 82games.com, Teague has a solid net plus-minus of +3.3, while Hill only earned a +0.4 last season.

Based on a one-season sample size, this trade appears to have been a plus for both Indiana and Utah, although not in equal proportions.

The advantages Teague offers — athleticism, ability to get into the paint, advanced passing skills — have had a positive overall impact on the Pacers.

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Hill has been an excellent addition to the Utah Jazz, having perhaps his best NBA season in 2016-17. Hill has had an injury-plagued year, however, playing in just more than half of Utah’s regular season games.

Despite that fact, he remains a primary reason the team has improved markedly since their non-playoff season of 2015-16.

The next phase of analyzing this trade will come this summer, when both Teague and Hill will become free agents.

Whether or not their current teams can re-sign them will be a huge factor in deciding how beneficial the Teague/Hill deal ultimately was for the Pacers and the Jazz.

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However, based on what we know now, this trade has been a good move for Indiana, but an even better one for Utah.