George Hill finding his place on Indiana Pacers one month after trade

George Hill has only been with the Indiana Pacers for about a month this season, but you wouldn't know that if you watched him on the bench during games.

During stoppages in play, he frequently pops off his seat and provides instructions for his teammates. During timeouts, he gets in one-on-one moments with younger players. He is vocal and makes his voice heard. As a 37-year old, Hill spends his time during games inspiring his teammates.

"He holds me accountable every day. In game, when I come out of the game, he's usually the one that talks to me more than the staff," Pacers All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton said of Hill. "In practice, he's the one who gets on me. It's always good to have good vets around you, and he's been really good for me."

Hill has earned a reputation as a sage veteran in the league. His defensive abilities through the years have made him popular, and he's been to the Conference Finals four different times. He's seen a lot, he knows a lot, and his influence on pick-and-roll defense as a guard makes him a uniquely knowledgeable vet.

He has spent several seasons playing alongside superstar talent, and he's learned under some of the NBA's best coaches. Hill's resume, including his first stint with the Pacers from 2011-2016, speaks for itself. When he talks, people listen.

"He's taught me a lot. He's been vocal, he got little tricks and little things in the game that he's learned through experience... he's giving me all that knowledge," rookie guard Andrew Nembhard said of Hill. "He's been willing to put into me as much as he wants, and he has nothing to gain from it. He's been selfless."

Hill's leadership and steady play were factors in the Milwaukee Bucks re-signing Hill in 2019, and then later signing him again. He gave that team, one chasing a title, a ton of value. He is now giving that utility to Indiana.

On the court, Hill has appeared in four games for the blue and gold so far. He is averaging 3.5 points per game and has knocked down half of his shot attempts.

"George has added a lot. He's a guy that, every day, he's alway talking to our guys about accountability, habits. He's a great defensive player. The things that he does defensively in practice are things that our guys can learn from," head coach Rick Carlisle said of Hill. They overlapped years ago, during one of Carlisle's earlier stints in Indy.

"[Hill] and James Johnson have really created a great stereo voice for our team just as far as things that are important as we're developing habits that we're going to develop," Carlisle added. Hill has tossed 1.8 assists per game for the Pacers so far, he has been a steadying hand when other point guards are out with injuries.

The 37-year old had seven points in a start against the Spurs just under two weeks ago. He had five assists against the Pistons on Saturday night. He's still got some good basketball left in the tank, and that makes his leadership skills even stronger — he can lead by example.

In practices, he defends hard. Haliburton joked that he's gotten used to getting hacked by Hill and T.J. McConnell in tune-up sessions. In the locker room, Hill's voice carries weight. In just over a month with a new franchise, he already has made an impact.

"Just being vocal to them. Trying to help them as much as possible. Trying to just be that vocal leader, things that I can see that maybe they're doing wrong that can help them, or maybe they're doing it right but exerting a lot of energy and there's an easier way to do it," Hill explained of his impact on the team. He shared that he learned how to be a leader during timeouts from some of his veterans including Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Michael Finley, and former Pacer David West.

"Just picking up habits from those guys and trying to drop jewels on our young guys," Hill said.

Haliburton noted that being a key vet in this league has a lot to do with shared memories and experiences. Hill has a ton of them. He's seen other first-class players and organizations up close, and he can spread that information to the younger Pacers.

Hill's leadership abilities have been strong for much of his career, even as they have evolved. Pacers guard Buddy Hield was teammates with Hill for some time in Sacramento, so he's seen the veteran grow.

"Being a voice in the locker room. George is a guy that can still play at a high level, man... his voice is well respected," Hield said. Indiana's starting center, Myles Turner, agreed.

"Not much has changed as far as his voice and his leadership. That's been the same through and through," Turner said. He and Hill were originally teammates with the Pacers during Turner's rookie season. "You can tell he really cares and wants to put guys in the right positions."

It's hard to measure how much a player like that means to a young group, but Hill joined the Pacers midseason and already has a place with the team. More importantly, he already has a voice. That's a word that almost every player who raved about Hill used, and that voice has gone a long way in helping George Hill find his role with the Indiana Pacers as a veteran leader.