56. George Hill, PG, Jazz

The Utah Jazz’s George Hill is a unique point guard in the NBA: He doesn’t need the ball and his natural inclination is to complement his teammates.

Hill's natural inclination is to complement—effectively deferring to his playmaking teammates by helping to establish the spacing they need to thrive. Only 12 players in the league last season finished with a higher three-point percentage than Hill. Among them, only two (Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson) have any claim to being a superior defender. That makes Hill a top option within the 3-and-D mold and truly unique in that he defaults as a nominal point guard. Wing players who want the ball in their hands need a teammate like Hill alongside them to be effective in unassuming roles. Don’t confuse Hill’s default preference for inability. When put into situations where his individual creation was needed, Hill has swelled to fill the void. He’s a smart, balanced practitioner of the screen-and-roll with the experience to run an offense. He also just happens to be perfectly willing to take a backseat while another teammate drives or pick up a challenging assignment to save someone else the trouble. Hill is game for whatever, and his open-minded play only serves to broaden his team’s options. (Last year: No. 80).

+ Previously held up well as a higher-usage pick-and-roll option in the absence of a star
+ Tall and long enough to realistically defend across three positions
– Can easily fade into the background on teams that don’t move the ball consistently
– Intermediate game can be a touch erratic