The Los Angeles Lakers began their three game road trip with a 106-96 over the Detroit Pistons. Jordan Hill lead the team in scoring with 22 points while also grabbing 13 rebounds, earning himself his tenth double-double of the season.
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After the game, Antawn Jamison commented on his former teammate’s effort and hinted that Hill and other players weren’t given a proper role while the two played together under Mike D’Antoni, via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Antawn Jamison w/ a little D'Antoni dig on @TWCSportsNet when talking about J.Hill (1/2): "Nobody got a fair shake when D'Antoni was here."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 3, 2014
Jamison also acknowledged that this was something that had been on his chest for a while:
Jamison of course played under D'Antoni w/ J. Hill, then follows up w/ an exhale (2/2): "I've been waiting for a long time (to say that)."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 3, 2014
In his first full year as Laker head coach, D’Antoni struggled as the team finished with an abysmal 27-55 record. As a result, D’Antoni resigned after season’s end. The Lakers then hired Byron Scott to be follow him.
D’Antoni’s system and philosophy favored the stretch four which led to Wesley Johnson spending a lot of time at the power forward position. With Pau Gasol at center, Jordan Hill was regulated to a bench role and saw less than 21 minutes a game.
Under Scott, the need for a stretch four has become less important. When Gasol decided to leave the Lakers and join the Chicago Bulls in the offseason, Hill found himself as the team’s starting center. Through 18 games this season, Hill has seen his minutes increase to 31.8 per game.
Since joining the Lakers, Hill has become known for his hustle on the court and ability to grab offensive rebounds. Hill’s contract includes a team option for the 2015-16. Performances like Tuesday’s show why the Lakers wanted to bring back the big man and will consider picking up the option next year.
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