# Is Jordan Hill a Better Fit Than Dwight Howard?



## arasu (Jan 18, 2013)

I was giving the numbers a look and thought, 'If Hill can stay healthy, he could be a star next season.' 

*PER 36 MINUTES STATS*

*Jordan Hill*
Points - 15.2 
Rebounds - 13 
Blocks - 1.5
FG% - .497 
FT% - .656 
PER - 18.5

*Dwight Howard*
Points - 17.1 
Rebounds - 12.5 
Blocks - 2.5
FG% - .578	
FT% - .492
PER - 19.4

-Hill took nearly half of his shots on jumpers and made only 37% of them, a little low for that volume of shots, but he hit the same percentage on his inside shots as Howard did. He also was not the incredible liability that Howard was at the FT line. Overall he was a better fit offensively than Howard. He rebounded more per minute, but blocked significantly fewer shots. It all mostly balances out with a similar PER


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## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

No.


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

This doesn't track Howard's defensive impact. The only thing Jordan's better at is offensive rebounding. 


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## arasu (Jan 18, 2013)

Jamel Irief said:


> This doesn't track Howard's defensive impact. The only thing Jordan's better at is offensive rebounding.
> 
> 
> Sent from Verticalsports.com Free App


True, but offense is the focus of the coaching staff. If Hill fits better offensively, he fits better. If he could actually take Howard's minutes, stay out of foul trouble, and stay healthy till the trade deadline, his stats would probably look All-Star worthy on a winning team. Inflated stats and an expiring contract could be excellent trade bait.


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## Xeneise (Jul 5, 2010)

This is what it's come to, Laker fans?


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

arasu said:


> True, but offense is the focus of the coaching staff. If Hill fits better offensively, he fits better. If he could actually take Howard's minutes, stay out of foul trouble, and stay healthy till the trade deadline, his stats would probably look All-Star worthy on a winning team. Inflated stats and an expiring contract could be excellent trade bait.


This is just foolish man. Hill is a better fit offensively maybe only in the sense that his effort level doesn't drop if Kobe jacks up shots.


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## King Sancho Fantastic (Jul 19, 2005)

Smh... No.


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## LA68 (Apr 3, 2004)

per 36 is meaningless. He would foul out before he got to minute 36. His job is to bang and he does that. He is not Defensive player of the year material.


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## e-monk (Sep 10, 2010)

as stated, no, clearly

but Hill could be a nice contributor if he stays healthy (and p.s. he's not particularly 'fouly' for a big)


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

Basel should have closed the thread after the appropriate "No".


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## BlakeJesus (Feb 1, 2006)

Negative Nancy Jamel Archivist, I was not being serious.


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## ChrisWoj (May 17, 2005)

arasu said:


> I was giving the numbers a look and thought, 'If Hill can stay healthy, he could be a star next season.'
> 
> *PER 36 MINUTES STATS*
> 
> ...


*Attack the post, not the poster.*


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## arasu (Jan 18, 2013)

If someone else posted this thread, I might respond that it's pretty thin reasoning. But it was a thought I had thought earlier in the season and with Dwight leaving, it seemed natural to share it. Obviously by the title of the thread I didn't expect some kind of unanimous agreement. I am fine with anyone who thinks the idea is absurd. Dwight did not mesh well with the team. He had the talent and physical ability to do so, but for whatever reason chose not. That's why I think he was a bad fit, and the guy who won't quit or sulk (Jordan Hill) should get a solid opportunity to prove himself, if he stays healthy and doesn't get traded.


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## e-monk (Sep 10, 2010)

ChrisWoj said:


> *Attack the post, not the poster.*


all you need to do is read any other response in this thread where they all answer various degrees of 'no'


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

arasu said:


> If someone else posted this thread, I might respond that it's pretty thin reasoning. But it was a thought I had thought earlier in the season and with Dwight leaving, it seemed natural to share it. Obviously by the title of the thread I didn't expect some kind of unanimous agreement. I am fine with anyone who thinks the idea is absurd. Dwight did not mesh well with the team. He had the talent and physical ability to do so, but for whatever reason chose not. That's why I think he was a bad fit, and the guy who won't quit or sulk (Jordan Hill) should get a solid opportunity to prove himself, if he stays healthy and doesn't get traded.


Don't worry. If you were a Rockets fan you could of posted this on your team board and got maybe a couple of your fellow fans speculating on the positives Hill brings. Instead you're a Laker fan so you have a bunch of outsiders creeping this board looking for ammo to attack the Laker fan base as a whole and defensive Laker fans as a result looking to distance themselves as far as possible from your comments to avoid attacks.

Hill is a garbage man and can blend in easier than Dwight, but he's just blending and has no where near the impact potential.


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## arasu (Jan 18, 2013)

http://espn.go.com/blog/los-angeles/lakers/post/_/id/37069/jordan-hills-summer-assignment-become-a-stretch-4



> “We got Pau Gasol that can focus on the paint and we got Chris Kaman that can focus on the block. So I just want to be a stretch 4. Just try to spread the floor a little bit, just show a little range. I’ve been working on it the whole summer, trying to focus on that, on my 3-ball. It got a lot better. I’m just ready to put it all together and showcase it.”
> 
> Hill, who shot 61.8 percent inside of 5 feet last season en route to a career-high 6.7 points per game average, did not fare as well the farther away from the basket he went. According to NBA.com Stats Cube, Hill shot 35.7 percent from 5-9 feet last season and 30.8 percent from 15-19 feet. And he missed the only two 3-point shots he attempted (in fact, he’s 0-for-9 on 3s for his career). However, there was signs of promise. He shot 50 percent from 10-14 feet and 42.9 percent from 20-24 feet, but the opportunities were limited (fewer than 10 attempts during the season from each of those spots).
> 
> Hill has traded Mikan drills around the basket for ballhandling exercises meant to help him develop a one-dribble, pull-up jumper. He's also practiced the footwork required for pick-and-rolls. Not just playing the part of the man setting the screen and diving toward the hoop, but also flaring out in pick-and-pop scenarios, and even working on curling off the pick as a screen-recipient rather than a screen-setter.


Hopefully D'Antoni doesn't mess up Hill's game like he did to Pau last season. Gasol was resistant though, while Hill seems to be enthusiastic about it. He wouldn't be the first player to add a 3-pt shot to his repertoire. That said, it does put him rather far from the basket and the rebounds that tend to carom off of it. His rebounding ability is his bread-and-butter, and shooting shots from distance detracts from that ability on the offensive end. It is only a worthwhile trade-off if he becomes a good shooter, which seems a bit unlikely.


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## e-monk (Sep 10, 2010)

Pau was resistant to being benched not the role (although the role meant sacrificing the strengths of his game and doing some things he isn't as good at) - he's been working at that role on and off for 3 years (with Bynum on the court)


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## Luke (Dec 7, 2008)

No but he could still have a career year


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

So offensively this looks like a yes so far.


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## arasu (Jan 18, 2013)

Jamel Irief said:


> So offensively this looks like a yes so far.


Just for an update:

*PER 36 MINUTES STATS 2012-13*

*Jordan Hill*
Points - 15.2 
Rebounds - 13 
Blocks - 1.5
FG% - .497 
FT% - .656 
PER - 18.5

*Dwight Howard*
Points - 17.1 
Rebounds - 12.5 
Blocks - 2.5
FG% - .578	
FT% - .492
PER - 19.4

***

*PER 36 MINUTES STATS 2013-14*

*Jordan Hill* (14 GP)
Points - 16.5 
Rebounds - 14 
Blocks - 1.7
FG% - .587 
FT% - .639 
PER - 22.4

*Dwight Howard* (15 GP)
Points - 18.4 
Rebounds - 13.8
Blocks - 2.4
FG% - .563	
FT% - .541
PER - 20.5

***

Hill also improved from 105 to 101 defensive rating from last season, while Howard has not, going from 100 to 101 DRtg. Hill has visibly shown overall improvement at both ends. While it was reported that he worked on his outside shooting, Hill appears to have worked primarily on his defense and pick-n-roll skills. Despite all the hype about working with Hakeem, Dwight is mostly the same player as always offensively, though slightly less dominant near the basket than he was with Orlando. And defensively he is clearly not as good as he was before back surgery. Howard is still a much greater shot-blocker than Hill. But overall, offense and defense combined, Hill is a better fit for the Lakers, IMHO.


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

We will see how the team (and Hill) playes when Kobe comes back.
I expect Hill's recent offensive numbers to fall relevantly.


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## Jamel Irief (May 19, 2002)

PauloCatarino said:


> We will see how the team (and Hill) playes when Kobe comes back.
> I expect Hill's recent offensive numbers to fall relevantly.


He should drop to about 12 ppg but not because of Kobe. It's not like they're running much plays or posts up for him now. I think it has more to do with teams giving him a little more attention.


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## Luke (Dec 7, 2008)

Those numbers are hilarious.


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## PauloCatarino (May 31, 2003)

Jamel Irief said:


> He should drop to about 12 ppg but not because of Kobe. It's not like they're running much plays or posts up for him now. I think it has more to do with teams giving him a little more attention.


Kobe being there will take away many shots from current players. 
With Kobe as the permiter gunner and Gasol as the main post player, Hill will get his points on lobbies, putbacks and ocasional post moves. 10ppg at the most, i'd bet (and if guys like Blake, Meeks, Johnson and Henry continue to shot >.4003P%, the lesser Hill will see the ball)...


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