Indiana Pacers: Can George Hill Step Up in Paul George’s Absence?

Nobody really has high hopes for the Indiana Pacers in the 2014-15 NBA season after last season’s epic second-half collapse and now Paul George’s season-ending injury. Just look at their total wins over-under line put out by Las Vegas recently: 32.5 wins.

Losing George, Evan Turner and Lance Stephenson has left the Pacers without much offensive firepower other than David West; or so it would seem.

Many, including head coach Frank Vogel, are looking toward George Hill to step up, be more aggressive and look for his shot more often.

“I think George Hill is going to be more assertive, but I’m also going to put him in position to be more assertive,” Vogel said according to indycornrows.com. “We’re going to see a different George Hill. A better George Hill.”

But can Hill step up in George’s absence and finally show the potential that so many believe him to possess? I strongly doubt that he can.

There’s no question, Hill has struggled to really put together any strong seasons so far in his NBA career. In his two years as the starting point guard for the Pacers, he’s yet to average even 15 points per game, and last season was only at 10.3. And he isn’t a pure point guard either, only averaging 4.7 and 3.5 assists in each of the last two seasons, respectively.

However, even if he is more of a scoring-type point man, he wasn’t given much opportunity with George and Stephenson doing much of the ball-handling and shot-taking. So if, like Vogel said, Hill gets more of an opportunity, can he bring his average up near 20 points a game and give the Pacers a reliable scorer from outside? After all, he has posted some solid averages at around 45 percent from the field and 37 percent from downtown in his career.

Sadly, the answer is no.

Hill has only averaged about eight shots per game in his career. Having good averages like that says more about his shot selection than anything else. He’s taken good shots in his career only when he has them. If the Pacers ask him to create more shots and take more chances, odds are his percentages are going to drop because, honestly, Hill is just an average player. He doesn’t have elite athleticism or a sweet stroke from outside. He’s just an average player in the NBA getting a starting gig because he happens to be the best PG on the roster.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Rodney Stuckey is splitting minutes with Hill 50-50 by mid-season because he’s more effective on the defensive end.

If Hill can actually surprise and prove himself this season, he could be the reason the Pacers end up near .500 and in the playoffs. However, history says that he’s just an average player, and giving him more scoring responsibility may not be conducive to winning basketball for the Pacers.

Brian Neal is a columnist for InkOnIndy.com. Follow him on Twitter @brianneal23.