Pacers tout first-round pick Solomon Hill as defensive ace
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
INDIANAPOLIS – The Pacers surprised many observers – among them, Solomon Hill.
The Pacers picked Hill, an Arizona senior forward, with the 23rd pick in the NBA draft Thursday night. A Los Angeles native, Hill was one of a handful of players the Pacers worked out twice. He did not expect to be taken in the first round, even though he noticed Indiana coach Frank Vogel watching during Hill’s second visit to Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
“The Pacers really like what I can do,” Hill said. “They like me as a person as well. Being a part of this franchise is big. They can only get better. My job will be to play defense and spread the floor.”
Pacers general manager Kevin Pritchard said Hill is likely to play small forward and has the versatility to defend point guards and shooting guards. He said he believes Hill can earn playing time as a rookie.
“There are two traits we identified: toughness and unselfishness,” Pritchard said. “He was as tough as anybody. One of the things that’s special is his willingness to win. As we watched every game, he got better.”
Indiana held a second-round pick at No. 53 overall but sold the selection to Boston for cash considerations.
Listed at 6-foot-7 and 220 pounds, Hill averaged 13.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season, his fourth at Arizona. He was selected to the all-Pac 12 first team as a junior and senior, during which time he shot 39 percent from 3-point range. One of the needs the Pacers have identified is improved outside shooting.
Pritchard said Hill gradually reinvented himself at Arizona from an interior force into a player who faces up defenders from the perimeter.
“You want to see they’re putting in the work,” Pritchard said. “Solomon did that. He is physically developed. We think he’s going to compete for minutes.”
Hill said he knows he has to earn that opportunity, especially with Paul George and Danny Granger, two All-Star small forwards, already on the roster.
“Whatever coaches ask me to do, I’ll do,” Hill said. “I have to work hard to get that chance to be that guy who comes off the bench. Being a different player every year (in college) allowed me to become a better person.”
Hill arrived at Arizona an overweight, touted prospect out of Fairfax High School in Los Angeles, with 21 percent body fat, but still played 25.3 minutes per game and averaged 6.7 points. The lean forward, who admits his defensive skills are ahead of his offensive abilities, is now down to 8 percent body fat.
Pritchard said Hill caught his eye when the third-year executive saw Arizona play in person in November. Entering the draft, Hill was one of the team’s top targets, and Pritchard said Indiana declined offers from other teams attempting to trade for Hill shortly after the Pacers had selected him.
