Phoenix Suns Useful Ex-Players: Grant Hill, 2007-2012
Grant Hill came to the Suns well past his prime, but still served as an important bruising, slashing forward with the ability to drive and score from outside, working between Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire. With the Suns, he averaged 12.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists per game.
Hill’s ability to pass and rebound better than most other small forwards during his era really made him an all-around great, able to help his team from several different angles. This versatility makes him perhaps the easiest player to plug onto today’s Phoenix team, likely to start out rotating with Mikal Bridges and Jae Crowder, but still capable of distributing the ball or posting up along the block. Wherever you need help, Hill provides it.
Additionally, Hill accomplished a great deal across his career, winning two collegiate titles and an Olympic Gold medal. He became an incredibly well-respected player, and ran a co-captain gig beside Nash while with the Suns.
But paired with a young crowd such as this year’s Phoenix squad, Hill’s experience would go well received to an even greater extent than usual, as this team’s minimal playoff experience remains its only real knock. However, a Hill addition checks off that final box.
As another very respected NBA figure bringing a high-game IQ to the table, Hill and Chris Paul seem likely to gel with each other extremely well. With these two carving up opposing defenses, greater opportunities for Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton to score seem all but certain.
While everyone else continues to play checkers, the Suns add another chess player with Hill. That combined with his wide skillset makes him the perfect former Sun to press the reset button on and add to the team.