Speaking of efficiency, Hill is consistently one of the most efficient small forwards in the NBA year-in and year-out. Here’s the problem: from 2000 through 2007, Hill was a broken player in Orlando. He was constantly fighting injuries until he showed up in Phoenix, whose vaunted training staff seemed to have fixed him for the past five years. Now Hill is away from the most respected training staff maybe in all of American sports and he holds the title of being the second-oldest player in the NBA – only one day younger than the Knicks’ Kurt Thomas. Hill could come out and have a highly efficient season with Chris Paul, but he’d have to stay healthy to do so.
Hill has played in 80 or more games each of the last three seasons, and last year was his best statistical year since his first season in Phoenix in 2007-08. He’ll be 39 years old entering this season, but a steady diet of Arizona sunshine – and the team’s legendary training staff – seems to be keeping him healthy. There’s some speculation going around that a lengthy lockout will prompt Hill to retire, but he expressed an interest in playing for the team again this season, and it’s hard to argue against having a positive contributor who also serves as a role model to younger players. Through 80 games last year, Hill averaged 13.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.6 three-pointers, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 1.7 turnovers in 30 minutes. If Hill does indeed return to the Suns next season, there’s little reason to believe he won’t reprise that role. Plus, it would benefit them to have him playing next to the promising young power forward, Markieff Morris, they drafted in the first round this year.
Hill's scoring average has fallen in each of the last five seasons, but he's still a solid member of the Suns' rotation, averaging 30 minutes exactly last year. It's hard for a player to be worthless with that kind of court time, and Hill wasn't (worthless, that is), contributing enough to finish as a top-125 player or so. Ultimately, his real value comes from the fact that he's not bad in any one category.
Hill turned in one of the more unlikely iron-man seasons in NBA history last year, playing in all 82 games for this first time in his 14-year career after missing the bulk of his prime due to injury. The famed Suns medical staff continues to earn its money with Hill, allowing him to remain fantasy-viable despite turning 37 before the season begins. Hill is no longer the super-athletic 25/5/5 monster that he was at his peak, but he is still a versatile 6-7 wing that knows how to use his solid ball-handling, crafty moves and good midrange jumper to score in double-digits on excellent shooting percentages. Hill will still give you a reasonable five boards per, and will sneak about a steal per game as well. He never developed the three that used to be the only hole in his fantasy game, and he no longer has any one impact category that could make him a roto starter. Nevertheless, Hill makes a nice bench player to have as he’s consistent and doesn’t do anything to hurt your team when inserted into the lineup.
Against all odds, Hill has re-emerged as a valuable contributor. After five injury-riddled seasons in Orlando, where Hill averaged just 33 games per year, Hill suited up 70 times in his first season with the Suns – his highest total since his last year in Detroit. But despite playing in the high-octane Mike D’Antoni offense, Hill posted the lowest point-per-game average of his career (13.1 ppg), and failed to crack 10 points per game in March or April, after the Shawn Marion/Shaquille O’Neal trade. But he contributes elsewhere on the stat sheet, with 6.8 boards, 5.0 assists and 1.9 combined steals/blocks on average. We’re cautiously optimistic that he’ll produce at approximately the same level this season – his passing skills should help as the Suns continue their transition to a more halfcourt-oriented system – but at age 35, Hill will continue to be a significant injury risk.
We love Grant Hill on the Suns from a pure basketball perspective. From a fantasy perspective, not as much. Hill is an excellent fit in Phoenix’ free-wheeling offense. As long as he can stay healthy – which is obviously one of the bigger “ifs” in the NBA – we expect he’ll serve the Suns well as someone who can initiate the offense when Steve Nash is out of the game, freeing the electric Leandro Barbosa to score. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, we don’t expect Hill to put up big numbers in that role, even after his stats are adjusted for “Phoenix Inflation.” Hill might generate really nice assist numbers in limited run, but combine his limited role with the injury risk, and it’s hard to recommend him.
The only good thing for Hill last year was that his latest season-ending injury had nothing to do with his ankle. After playing 67 games in 2005, Hill only played in 21 games last year and was eventually shut down due to a sports hernia. Hill has spent the summer working with an abdominal specialist and expects to be 100% for the start of training camp. You have to wonder how much Hill, at age 34, has left in him after undergoing surgery after surgery. He still possesses a deadly mid-range game and an almost unstoppable pull-up jumper, but injuries and age have taken him from an all-world player for Detroit five years ago to a three-trick fantasy player (points, FG%, steals) in the twilight of his career.
Is this where Hill would have been in the 10th season of his career anyway? We'll never know, but it was a minor miracle he played 67 games last season after the four years of ankle trouble preceding it. Hill finished the year with a shin bruise that could have become a stress fracture had he continued to play, but otherwise is expected to be as healthy as he was heading into last year. The explosiveness is gone from his first step and leaping, yet he was able to post career-best shooting percentages and impressive steal numbers. Expect that his rebounding, assists and scoring will continue to decline in accordance with his age (33 once the season starts) and injury history.
Hill will attempt yet another comeback from ankle surgery this season. This past summer, he had been playing pain free, but it's anyone's guess how the ankle will hold up when he goes full speed. A decent late round sleeper, but don't expect numbers reminiscent of his heyday even if he does manage to stay healthy.
Hill has played in only 47 games over the last three seasons and will likely miss a large chunk of the 2003-2004 season as well. Hill underwent the fourth and most extensive surgery on his left ankle in mid-March of 2003. Whether he can return to play this season remains a question mark.
