Grant Hill’s former teammate, Jerry Stackhouse, discusses what made him a special player.
Grant Hill is a Hall of Famer, and his status as one of the game’s all-time greats is beyond reproach. However, many feel that what fans saw was only the tip of the iceberg. A 6’8″ small forward who possessed a versatile skill set that allowed him to fill the stat sheet nightly, Hill was a match-up nightmare for most teams.
One of those who was fortunate enough to play alongside Hill was his former teammate and current Golden State Warriors assistant coach, Jerry Stackhouse. In a recent interview, Stackhouse shared his thoughts on what made Hill such an exceptional player and wondered what could have been had the latter not suffered so many injuries during his stint with the Orlando Magic.
He was LeBron long before LeBron arrived in the NBA
When hoop fans and analysts discuss versatility in today’s NBA, the player who immediately comes to mind is Los Angeles Lakers great LeBron James, who has set the standard for what it means to be a true all-around player for the last two decades. However, before LeBron was even drafted into the NBA, Grant was displaying that same level of versatility and skill.
When he teamed up with Grant on the Detroit Pistons, Jerry saw this firsthand.
“He was cold,” Stack emphasized. “Like, you know, because he was unselfish, man. He was like LeBron from the standpoint of he could handle the basketball, he looked to make plays for others, but he could score at will.”
“You couldn’t really keep him in front of you off the bounce. He could go out and down in the post and play,” he continued.
Hill’s first six seasons in the NBA, all of which he spent with the Pistons, were phenomenal. He was named a starter in the All-Star Game during his rookie year and followed that up with five straight berths in the All-NBA Team. He finished his Pistons’ stint averaging 21.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game, showcasing the type of elite versatility many associate with King James.
Grant proved he could do anything he set his mind to
Stack assessed that if there was one thing that Hill needed to improve on, it was his defensive prowess. True to form, he did just that later on in his career when he moved out West and joined the Phoenix Suns.
“This was probably the only weakness that you’d say about Grant — it was probably defensively, right?” Stack shared. “And then at the end of his career, he goes to Phoenix and he becomes a defensive stopper.”
“So, you look at his body of work, man… if he wouldn’t have gotten hurt and I think that played a big part in us kind of… I mean, we were on our way, right? You know what I’m saying?” he added. “I think we were probably one of the best tandems in the league, behind, you know, Scottie and MJ at the time.”
Stack was spitting some facts, as he and Hill formed a duo that could go toe-to-toe with any one-two punch in the NBA at that time, including the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. However, after the Pistons couldn’t advance past the first round in consecutive seasons, Hill sought a fresh start and was traded to the Magic in August 2000.
However, things never worked out for Grant in Orlando as he suffered one debilitating injury after another that limited him to only 200 games over six seasons. Still, he did more than enough early in his career to establish himself as one of the most versatile and skilled forwards in league history.
