On the first day of free agency, the New Orleans Pelicans filled a significant need on both ends of the ball by signing Solomon Hill. But is Hill worth his four-year/$52 million contract?
It was just like any other July 1st: at work and sneaking scrolls through Twitter to laugh at the latest insane NBA contract while hoping the New Orleans Pelicans wouldn’t overpay an underachieving free agent (again). Then the news broke.
Sources: Soloman Hill agrees to deal with #Pelicans for 4 years, 48 million.
— Scott Kushner (@ScottDKushner) July 1, 2016
My reaction was not special. Wait, who? That feels like a lot of money. I think I remember this name. He had some good games in the playoffs, right? He plays for Portland? No. Indiana? *Googles Solomon Hill* Yep, Indiana. Still, THAT FEELS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY.
It’s hard to imagine too many Pelicans fans realistically thinking a Kent Bazemore (let alone Kevin Durant) was obtainable, but I, like many, figured we’d land on a guy like Evan Turner or maybe Allen Crabbe or possibly even friend of the blog Jared Dudley. But Hill? A guy who played 866 minutes last season? A guy who in 2015-16 averaged 4.2 points per game and an even worse 2.8 rebounds a game? A guy who posted a somehow even worse 0.2 blocks per game and 0.6 steals per game?
Yet, here we are.
However, in the flood of #HotTakes and 140 character-sized “analysis,” it is easy to forget that no player’s game exists in a vacuum. Any given player’s contributions are more than can be measured on a stat sheet, and even superstars are still one fifth of a whole.
As Nathan illustrated earlier, the signing of both Hill and combo guard E’Twaun Moore indicate a new direction for the New Orleans Pelicans. The much-needed influx of true two-way role players will dramatically improve the team’s defense and make life easier on stars Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday, Tyreke Evans (should he remain on the roster) and rookie shooting guard Buddy Hield. While Hill will rarely outscore any of the team’s stars, we can look at his specific contributions to the Indiana Pacers to get an idea of what to expect out of him for the upcoming season.
Next: Offense