3 Milwaukee Bucks breakout players of 2019

3. George Hill

George Hill is in his 12th season in the NBA, far from the typical breakout candidate. Coming into the league out of IUPUI, Hill was a key contributor off the bench for the San Antonio Spurs before he was traded to the Indiana Pacers for the rights to draft Kawhi Leonard.

It was in Indiana that Hill had his most success, part of strong defensive teams that pushed the Miami Heat more than any other Eastern Conference team during the LeBron James era.

Yet after a season in Utah, Hill saw a sharp decline and for the better part of two seasons it seemed that injuries and age had put an end to Hill’s ability to contribute at a high level. He was tossed into a salary dump trade and found himself with the Milwaukee Bucks midway through last season. For the past 12 months his career has been given new life in Milwaukee.

Hill has logged around 1,200 minutes since the start of 2019, all with the Bucks, and has been a dominant plus-249 overall. In Indiana Hill thrived playing alongside a ball-dominant forward in Paul George and he has done similarly in Milwaukee alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Attacking rotating defenses and mismatches has allowed Hill to be an efficient offensive player, shooting 37 percent from 3-point range and 47.5 percent from the field overall.

What Hill has also brought is secondary playmaking, with an impressive 3.31-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio. His usage is at a career-low 14.7 percent this season, but the Bucks don’t need him to shoot. His true shooting is at a career-high 68.8 percent and despite playing the fewest minutes of his career, he is on track to put up the second-most win shares of his career.

In fact his win shares per 48 minutes is at .257, behind only five likely All-Stars and just ahead of LeBron James. In short, Hill is a key part of the Bucks’ wild success thus far this season.