Watch this man: George Hill is holding the Bucks together

George Hill is the perfect role player for the Milwaukee Bucks, holding things together and making everyone else’s lives easier.

In Milwaukee, the spotlight shines brightest on 25-year-old reigning MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo. He is the straw that stirs the proverbial drink for the Bucks as they continue to chase what would be just the second NBA title in the franchise’s history. Even more remarkable, the Greek superstar still hasn’t reached the peak of his powers.

While Milwaukee’s title hopes rest firmly on Antetokounmpo’s broad shoulders this year, the Bucks have spent the last couple of seasons building a cohesive supporting cast designed to unlock and supplement the many talents and gifts of their superstar.

The return of veteran point guard George Hill has been a welcome surprise for the Bucks and he may ultimately be the key to Milwaukee being able to withstand the loss of Brogdon when all is said and done.

Having arrived to Milwaukee via trade last winter, Hill catalyzed a Bucks’ bench that was primarily comprised of unproven, developing draft picks and free agency flyers.

But it wasn’t until the Bucks’ run to the Eastern Conference Finals that the totality of Hill’s fit within the Bucks’ foundation would be realized — he then emerged to become the kind of impact player for Milwaukee that he’d been for the majority of his 12-year career elsewhere.

Hill rose up during the biggest moments of the Bucks’ 2018-19 campaign and delivered highly efficient and incredibly productive minutes throughout the playoffs. Eventually, Hill earned the clear title of the Bucks’ best postseason point guard (in light of yet a second consecutive bewildering playoff run from Eric Bledsoe.)

After extending his stay in Milwaukee over the summer, Hill has avoided any complacency and instead replicated those performance levels, as he continues to act as the Bucks’ sixth man this season.

Hill’s workload isn’t all that much greater than what he was tasked with throughout his first season in Milwaukee, and the same goes for him looking for his own shot when leading the Bucks’ bench unit or sharing the floor with the team’s cornerstone pieces.

Yet the sage veteran has been making shots at a blistering rate — hitting more than half of his 3-point attempts, (51.6 percent), which ranks second in the NBA. Hill’s orchestrating of the Bucks’ offense with the second unit has also been incredibly pristine, he’s posting 69 assists to 18 turnovers, making for a 3.83 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Being able to offer up such a potent punch offensively while maintaining an integral role on the defensive end, where Hill can check both guard spots and give plenty of resistance at the point of attack, illustrates just how critical and wide-ranging Hill’s impact can be.

Bringing that level of dependability has been critical for a Bucks team that has been even more dominant so far this year than they were throughout their run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

That only reinforces Hill’s standing as one of the league’s top-level role players — his mix of skill and versatility is only further elevated in winning situations, such as the one the Bucks have carved out over the last couple of seasons.

If the Bucks prove to be successful and are able to raise the Larry O’Brien trophy next June, Hill will be one of several contributors to thank. As it is, there’s already more than enough reason to believe one of the league’s current juggernauts wouldn’t be nearly the same team without him.

Before George Hill, the Bucks had a bench unit. With him, that group’s unity, cohesion, and skill levels soared. Self-proclaimed by Hill and Pat Connaughton as a “bench mob”, if the Bucks have the NBA’s own version of Dr. Manhattan as a focal point in their starting five, they also have the luxury of Hill leading a more grounded group of gritty, unsung heroes back on earth.