Heading into the final stretch of the regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers have their focus building some momentum entering the playoffs. Cleveland appears to be hedging in the right direction winning three out of the last four games with a pair coming against formidable teams.
However, the Cavaliers have been dealing with injuries throughout the roster for much of the season. This is once again the case as George Hill has been diagnosed with a left ankle sprain that will keep him off the floor for an uncertain amount of time, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated.
Hill had suffered the injury in the third quarter of Friday’s 107-102 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Shortly following the injury, he exited the game and did not return to the floor. The 31-year-old has played every game that he has been eligible to play since being acquired by the Cavaliers prior to the trade deadline last month.
He has started in all 22 games with the team where he is averaging 9.9 points on 44.4 percent shooting from the floor and 35.1 percent from three-point range along with 2.9 assists per contest. Hill has been a steady presence as a perimeter defender but has struggled to provide a consistent source of scoring. His offensive impact has been quite inconsistent as he has recorded fewer than 10 points in four out of the last five games and has gone scoreless once since joining the Cavaliers.
His absence will likely put Jose Calderon back in the rotation more heavily while potentially stepping in as a starter. Calderon has played a limited role in the starting lineup being named a starter in 30 of his 53 games played this season. This should also see LeBron James once again garner a greater responsibility as a ball distributor. In the few days, there should more clarity in terms of how long Hill will be out of the lineup.