George Hill to begin practicing “full-out” this week

George Hill’s return is now sooner rather than later. He’s been dealing with a torn quad since October, and Pacers head coach Frank Vogel provided an update before they hosted the Los Angeles Lakers Monday night.

“George is expected to practice full-out this week and build his conditioning as much as possible, and get back as soon as possible but still no timeline,” Vogel said. “He’s going to be practicing this week with the intent of trying to get back pretty soon.”

Hill has not played since Oct. 21 — the preseason — when he suffered the injury at Minnesota. It was originally diagnosed as a deep bone bruise in his left knee, but another MRI later revealed that he had a tear in his left quad.

The Pacers are on the road for their next three games — stops in L.A. (Clippers), Denver, and Minnesota — and Hill make the trip. However, since he has not even gone through an entire practice to this point, it seems unlikely.

“Unlikely [he’ll play] on this trip,” Vogel added, “but [it’s] not out of the realm of possibility.”

Heading into Monday’s night, the Pacers have had eight players miss a total of 101 games — and they’ve used eight difference starting lineup after last season utilizing just three, the fewest in The Association.

Before each game, Hill and Paul George take the floor about 60 minutes before tip time to work on ball handling drills and to shoot around. Watch below as Hill gets some shots off: