Milwaukee Bucks: 3 ways George Hill can help
2. Lineup versatility
If the Milwaukee Bucks have a type, they love players with long wingspans for their positions. While former general manager John Hammond has moved on, the team has continued to add players who fit this profile, including trading for Eric Bledsoe last season to man the point guard position.
George Hill is 6’2”, about average for a point guard, but has an enormous 6’9” wingspan. This allows him to guard either opposing backcourt player, with the lateral quickness to take on smaller, faster guards and the size and wingspan to slow down larger 2-guards.
More from Hoops Habit
- 7 Players the Miami Heat might replace Herro with by the trade deadline
- Meet Cooper Flagg: The best American prospect since LeBron James
- Are the Miami Heat laying the groundwork for their next super team?
- Sophomore Jump: 5 second-year NBA players bound to breakout
- NBA Trades: The Lakers bolster their frontcourt in this deal with the Pacers
Hill joins a backcourt where the two starters also boast this amount of size. Bledsoe has frequently played alongside another point guard throughout his career, be that with Chris Paul in Los Angeles or Isaiah Thomas and Goran Dragic in Phoenix. Malcolm Brogdon is currently starting at the 2 with Bledsoe on-ball.
This gives Mike Budenholzer plenty of options for deploying Hill alongside the other guards. Bledsoe and Hill can play together, as can Hill and Brogdon, or Hill and rookie Donte DiVincenzo. Backup units of Hill and Sterling Brown are huge and could swallow up many opposing bench backcourts, which is where undersized scoring guards tend to dwell.
More wing options also unlocks the viability of Antetokounmpo-at-center lineups. Brook Lopez has been splashing shots from outside, but may be a defensive liability in certain matchups. Budenholzer has other options — Ersan Ilyasova, Thon Maker and Jason Smith — but none inspire fear as much as the prospect of a fully operational Giannis-at-center lineup. The secret to such lineups is enough wings to make it viable, and Hill bolsters that cupboard.