The Atlanta Hawks signed Solomon Hill to a minimum contract this past offseason, a move which went largely unnoticed given who else they acquired. They signed Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Rajon Rondo, Tony Snell, Onyeka Okongwu, Kris Dunn, Skylar Mays, and Nathan Knight.
To say the Hawks overhauled their roster would be an understatement. Given the season they have had with injury, it is lucky that they did. Dunn has not played a game, John Collins has missed time recently, De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish have missed a significant portion of the season.
Gallinari and Bogdanovic also missed chunks of the season and yet the Hawks have managed to gain a solid playoff seeding with a month to go. One of the main reasons for this has been the flexibility of Hill.
The Atlanta Hawks have utilized Solomon Hill well.
More from Soaring Down South
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
Early on in the season, Hill gained court time when Gallinari was hurt. He was a 3-and-D presence off the bench, just not with the same efficiency as the sharp-shooting Italian. Then when Gallinari came back, Hill kept his court time thanks to Hunter’s injury.
Hill was a solid backup for Snell during that time but was pressed into service as a starter when Collins injured his ankle, even when Gallinari was available. Now that Collins is back, Hill is back on the bench but not before he shot 6-of-8 from deep against the Milwaukee Bucks the game before Collins came back.
While Hill has not set the world on fire offensively this season, with one or two exceptions, he has always been solid defensively. Yes, there are the turnovers that make you want to tear your hair out but that is all part of the Solomon Hill experience.
Hill had a career resurgence with the Miami Heat in the bubble where his defense changed games for the eventual runner’s up. It only led to a contract worth $2.1 million which is today’s game is next to nothing. This has to be one of the best contracts for a team in the NBA this season