Draft Prospect - Jordan Hill

In keeping with my assessments of the top draft prospects, I present my review of Jordan Hill of the Arizona Wildcats. 

Athleticism	9
Leadership	6
Size for position	9
Jump shot	7
Footwork & Fundamentals	7
Post skills	8
Ball Handling	6
Perimeter Defense	6
Post Defense	8
Help Defense	9
Passing ability	6
Speed/Quickness	7
Basketball IQ	6
Intensity level	7

Hill is the proto-typical College Power Forward, and it won't take much for him to have the proto-typical NBA body either. He has a big wiry frame (6'10"), with long arms and excellent strength. Very athletic and quick, Jordan can run the floor with the best of the big men. (Runs like a deer, jumps outta the gym). He should easily be able to add another 15-20 pounds without sacrificing any of his natural athleticism or quickness.

 

Offensively, Hill is a mixed bag. He gets great position down low, where he can use a variety of basic post moves to score. He's explosive around the rim, finishing nearly everything, even through contact. Other than the dunk, his pet move is a very effective right-handed jump-hook shot. He's also a very good Offensive rebounder, using his size and athleticism to good use there, playing well above the rim. Hill has a fairly consistent mid-range jump shot, out to about 18 feet; so he can play the high post pick-and-roll or pick-and-pop game.  Combine that with an extremely quick first step, and Hill becomes a very dangerous player on the outside; able to hit a 15-18 ft jumper or put the ball on the floor and drive to the rim. On the other hand, throw anything unusual at him, and he seems to struggle. When double-teamed, he tends to force things, frequently leading to turn overs. He sometimes plays out of control (see: bull in a china shop). He lacks advanced low post moves (drop step, spins, pivots, left hand, etc...) so his game is stiff and somewhat predictable. Hill is not a very good passer, so if he doesn't make a quick move, or immediately pass the ball back out, he frequently commits a turn over. Unfortunately, even though Hill gets to the FT line a lot, he's not a good foul shooter.

 

Defensively, Hill is a terrific shot blocker and help defender. He's got tremendous timing and awareness as he rotates over from the weak side to block shots. Hill is good on the Defensive boards, but tends to use his athleticism rather than technique (blocking out) to gather in rebounds. That could be a problem at the next level, when he goes up against more seasoned players. As an individual defender, Hill only grades out as average. He has very good lateral quickness, which should help in defending the pick-and-roll.... but he has poor defensive technique, which sometimes leads to foul trouble. His length, quickness and athleticism frequently bails him out. At the College level, he can stand up straight, not move his feet, or give up position - and still be an effective defender because of his quickness, height and jumping ability; but he needs to improve his technique to be a good defender in the NBA, otherwise he'll be fouling out of every game. The defensive tools are there (size, length, wingspan, lateral quickness, jumping ability, athleticism, etc...) - so, with proper coaching, he has the potential to be an exceptional individual defender.

 

During several games earlier this year, I noticed Hill had trouble catching the ball (small hands?).... That problem seems to have been solved over the last 10 games or so, and I haven't seen a recurrence. He still tends to disappear during stretches of some games, not playing with intensity throughout the entire game.

 

Overall, Jordan Hill should be a top 5 Lottery pick, and depending on the team, could start and contribute right away. If he continues to work hard, Hill has a lot of upside. He's already a very good Offensive player, but with improvement in his advanced post moves, he can get much better. In the right system, with the right coach, he could also be a stellar defender.