George Hill to start for Cavaliers
It has been reported that George Hill will start at point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers to start the season. Spencer Davies tweeted out the news Thursday afternoon.
George Hill will start at point guard for #Cavs to begin the year.
— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) October 11, 2018
This development is hardly a surprise. Hill is a veteran and is capable of handling the offense. Hill averaged 9.4 points per game on 44.5 percent shooting in 24 games for Cleveland last year. Although his assist numbers (2.8) were his second lowest in his career per game, that just happens to be the price of playing alongside LeBron James. Now without James, Hill’s assist numbers will surely go up as he is no longer there to act as the de facto point guard.
Hill can man the position until Collin Sexton is ready. A scenario that Davies added in an additional tweet.
Lue wants to ease Collin Sexton into starting role and let him get comfortable, even though he's probably ready. #Cavs https://t.co/QhEDIZci49
— Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) October 11, 2018
Rather than throw Sexton to the wolves, head coach Tyronn Lue wants Sexton to acclimate himself to the NBA before inserting him into the starting lineup.
The good news is that Sexton appears to be ready to be a starter in the NBA and Lue believes that, (although some people believe that whatever Lue says is ultimately wrong). In three preseason games Sexton is averaging 10.3 points per game on 41.7 percent shooting from the field. This includes an outstanding 57.1 percent from three point range. Granted it is preseason, but his efficiency appears to be a sign of good things to come.
What exactly is George Hill’s longterm outlook in Cleveland?
The success of the Cavaliers and development of Sexton will ultimately determine Hill’s fate in Cleveland. If Cleveland is contending for the playoffs then it is realistic that Hill remains a Cavalier. On the other hand if the Cavaliers are eliminated early from playoff contention and Sexton is thriving it is easy to imagine Hill being shipped to a contender in an effort to give the young players in Cleveland more playing time. Either way Cleveland appears in a good spot at the point guard position.
