Solomon Hill "is going to be a factor" next season, according to team president Larry Bird, the teams' official site reports.

Hill "is going to be a factor" next season, according to team president Larry Bird, the teams' official site reports.

Analysis:

Hill has always received praise from Bird since the Pacers first drafted him, and this pattern continued during the team president's post-draft press conference. Bird admired Hill's work ethic, professing that the 23-year-old "looked better and better" towards the end of last season. The praise hasn't meant much so far, however, as Hill averaged just over eight minutes per game in the 2013-14 campaign, most of which came in lower-leverage situations. This appears set to change in 2014-15, especially considering that the team is at risk of losing Evan Turner, Rasual Butler and Lance Stephenson to free agency. Next year may yet be too early to reach for the youngster in fantasy drafts, but his usage is certainly worth monitoring in deeper and dynasty formats.