Lakers 2013-14 Preseason Player Profiles: Jordan Hill

Dan Duangdao
3 Min Read

NBA: Indiana Pacers at Los Angeles Lakers

Name: Jordan Hill
Pos: PF/C
Year: 2012-2013 Stats (Los Angeles Lakers)

PPG: 6.7 RPG: 5.7 APG: 0.4 SPG: 0.3 BPG: 0.7
FG%: 49.7% FT%: 65.6%
PER: 18.5 USG%: 20.2% ORTG: 113 DRTG: 105
TS%: 53.3% EFG%: 49.7%
DR%: 19.7%OR%: 20.3% TR%: 20.0%

Last Season Summary:
While the Lakers struggled this past season, Jordan Hill was a bright spot until he went down with a major hip injury on January 6 against the Denver Nuggets. Hill only appeared in 29 games where he averaged 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds in 15.8 minutes per game. His rebounds-per-minute average was among the league’s best and the Lakers sorely missed his energy and hustle off the bench.

Strengths/Weaknesses:
Jordan Hill is an athletic big man who provides great energy and can shift the momentum of a game. Hill’s activity level on the boards is one of the best in the NBA. He plays with a reckless abandon which makes him more injury-prone than the average basketball player. It’s the only way Hill knows how to play and everyone appreciates the effort he brings every single game and every minute he’s on the floor.

Expected Role:
Assuming that Mike D’Antoni wants the Lakers to play at a faster pace, Jordan Hill will start at power forward alongside Pau Gasol. Hill will provide much-needed defensive energy in the frontcourt and has the opportunity to be the team’s defensive anchor. Since Hill expends so much energy, he will need to play in spurts of 5-6 minutes to maximize his strengths.

This Year’s Expectations:
There are high expectations for Jordan Hill this season. If healthy, Hill has a chance to finally establish himself in the league after four seasons. The scoring opportunities will come, but Hill should be able to average more than ten rebounds this season with the minutes he’s expected to play. If Hill continues to grow on both ends of the court, it gives the Lakers that extra boost to exceed expectations this season.

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Dan Duangdao was the managing editor at Lakers Nation (2013-16, 2018-20). He is currently the founder at LA Sports Media, Lake Show, Raiders Nation, Rams Nation, Kings Nation, Galaxy Nation, and MMA Rumors. Born and raised in Southern California and a lifelong Los Angeles sports and mixed martial arts fan, his first NBA game was Kobe Bryant and the Lakers against the Golden State Warriors with Michael Jordan in attendance during the 1998-99 NBA season. He was previously a contributor at HOOPSWORLD (now Basketball Insiders) and an NBA editor at ClutchPoints. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @DanDuangdao.