Should The Los Angeles Lakers Bring Back Jordan Hill Next Season?

The Los Angeles Lakers have a big decision to make about Jordan Hill during the offseason—should he stay, or should he go?

The 6'10" combo center/power forward has started 55 out of 63 games this season, posting career-high numbers across the board. But he also has a $9 million price tag attached to his team option, and if exercised, it will greatly reduce any chance of chasing an elite max-contract player.

At age 27, Hill is in his prime. His 12.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists in an economical 27.6 minutes per game represent a step forward in his career arc.

His methodology as a scorer has evolved as well. Once known primarily for close-up work, Hill has added a mid-range game, with 37 percent of his field-goal attempts occurring between 16 feet out and the three-point line. He is connecting on 39 percent of those shots, per Basketball-Reference.com.

In fact, he even made his first trey of this season in a close loss to the Golden State Warriors on March 16. Hill's stat line that night was an impressive 15 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and three steals. 



Selected as the eighth overall draft pick in 2009 by the New York Knicks, the former Arizona Wildcat has come into his own with the Lakers. As Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News reported on the eve of the trade deadline in February, Hill is hoping to stick around:

I want to be here. I want to be in a steady place I call home. ... I'm just feeling more comfortable out there. I pass the ball better. I shoot the ball better. I'm trying to do whatever it takes to get better.

But as Lakers coach Byron Scott pointed out, per Medina, getting better is a must.

"My biggest thing with him is playing harder because I know he can," Scott said. "I've seen glimpses of it. If he can get that on a consistent basis, he will be a double-double guy. That is something Jordan has to figure out...

About the Author