Solomon Hill title as “rook” is no more. That belongs to Shayne Whittington.
His first season, where the 23-year-old learned numerous lessons, is behind him and now he’s ready for Year 2. This year isn’t just about sporting a new look by wearing No. 44, his high school and college number, but he’s ready to make a meaningful contribution on the floor.
Solomon Hill is expected to have a much larger role in his second NBA season.
He’s not asking or expecting anything, but simply readied himself for the new season. And after the loss of Paul George due to a broken leg, Hill sees an opening — especially for him to be the team’s top wing defender.
So, how is he approaching it?
“Just accept the challenge,” he said at media day on Monday. “Every night you’re looking another guy, NBA All-Star caliber. It’s something that (Paul) took upon (himself) and based himself off of, and I think it’s something I can kind of look at and accept the challenge.”
Pacers coach Frank Vogel has tagged Hill as the next-man-up guy to take on the opponents’ best wing in the absence of George.
“No one guy can duplicate what Paul George is able to do with his versatility, in particularly on the defensive end,” said Vogel. “I do think Solomon Hill has the ability to be an elite wing defender.”
In addition to working on his defensive abilities over the summer, Hill worked with two well-known shooting coaches. In June, he worked with Hal Wissel for a week on set shots and his form.
Recently he got with Mike Penberthy, who was hired on full-time this week by the Minnesota Timberwolves, for a different kind of workout. (George worked with Penberthy last summer in Los Angeles.)
“I wanted more up-tempo workouts,” Hill explained. “… You can work stationary with the shooting drills as much as you possibly can but incorporating pace is more realistic to the games. I took stuff from Hal that I used with Mike P and it definitely worked well for me.”
Hill shot 42.5 percent from the field last season (28 games), and just 30.4 percent from outside.
Regardless of who he worked with, Hill made a point this summer of “just getting in the gym as much as possible.”
At the end of last season, after the Pacers lost to the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, Pacers President Larry Bird spoke highly of Hill and what he should be able to bring in future years. Bird liked the improvement and hard work he had seen and thinks he will be a valuable piece.
“I think he’s going to be a good player for us,” Bird said.
Hill showed signs of immaturity last season, nothing more than an average rookie. He expected to be featured while down in the D-League, said things he shouldn’t, and things irritated him. But now, ahead of Year 2, he says he feels good — both physically and mentally.
“Mentally I’ll be tested as the season goes on, and physically, but I think I’m pretty good,” said Hill.
One other note: George changed his Twitter handle from @KingxSolo to @SoloHill. “Just growing up,” he said. “KingxSolo was kind of a like a high school thing.” Hill, who deleted all of his tweets to start anew, has returned to the social media platform. He wanted a clean slate after his rookie campaign, so that’s what he’s getting.