Solomon Hill could get opportunity with shorthanded Pacers
After being selected 23rd overall by the Pacers in the 2013 NBA Draft, Solomon Hill wasn't given much of an NBA opportunity as a rookie, and understandably so.
The 23-year-old wing player was behind names like Paul George, Lance Stephenson, Danny Granger, Evan Turner, Rasual Butler and Chris Copeland on the Pacers depth chart throughout the season, and appeared in just 28 games for Indiana. But with George likely out for the season, Stephenson now plying his trade in Charlotte, and the Pacers in line for a slide down the Eastern Conference standings, the Arizona product may get his chance.
Hill averaged 1.7 points and 1.5 rebounds in just over eight minutes per game in 2013-14, but speaking to reporters after a press conference on Tuesday, head coach Frank Vogel praised his young small forward.
Vogel on Solomon Hill: "I think he's really improved his perimeter shooting. I think he's a natural wing defender. (1)
— Michael Pointer (@michaelpointer) August 12, 2014
. . .he's got the toughness and wing span and the ability to really get under the skin of the guy he's guarding." #Pacers
— Michael Pointer (@michaelpointer) August 12, 2014
"If he would have been playing 25 minutes a game last year, everyone would be talking about how good Solomon HIll is," Vogel said.
— Michael Pointer (@michaelpointer) August 12, 2014
Expecting a jump from 28 games played to a regular 25 minutes per night gig may be unrealistic, but Vogel at least sounds open to giving Hill an opportunity this season, and given that the Pacers are suddenly short on swingmen - C.J. Miles could start at small forward and they're pursuing Shawn Marion - the opportunity appears to be there.
Hill was a career 37.5 percent three-point shooter in his four seasons of NCAA ball at Arizona, including a 39 percent season in his senior year.