George Hill received steady praise for his work ethic during team president Larry Bird's post-draft press conference, the teams' official site reports. "I think George Hill's going to be a better basketball player. You just don't work that hard every day

Hill received steady praise for his work ethic during team president Larry Bird's post-draft press conference, the teams' official site reports. "I think George Hill's going to be a better basketball player. You just don't work that hard every day and not get better, " Bird stated.

Analysis:

Hill took a lot of criticism for his lack of production during the Pacers' late-season struggles in 2013-14, but he's definitely not getting down on himself, and continues to put in hours of hard work at team facilities. Bird doesn't want Hill to get discouraged, though, and hopes that his veteran continues to be aggressive with the basketball. If the team intends to bring back soon-to-be unrestricted free agent Lance Stephenson, there likely won't be enough cap room available to bring in a high-priced replacement for Hill, putting him in line to once again be the primary ball handler in the 2014-15 season. Although Hill took a bit of a step back in terms of production last year, the Pacers are still a young squad, and their point guard's productivity can truly only go up from here.