SALT LAKE CITY (November 7, 2016) – The NBA announced today that Utah Jazz guard George Hill has been named the Western Conference Player of the Week for games played from Monday, Oct. 31, through Sunday, Nov. 6. This is the first Player of the Week award for Hill.
Hill (6-3, 188, IUPUI) averaged 20.8 points on 58.5 percent shooting, 5.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds for the week while leading the Jazz to a 3-1 record. During the week, Utah earned wins at San Antonio (11/1), vs. Dallas (10/2) and at New York (10/6). The Jazz are 4-0 when Hill scores 20-or-more points. He ranks first among NBA point guards in field goal percentage (.541) and third in the league in assist-per-turnover radio (4.38).
In seven games (all starts) for Utah this season, Hill is averaging 20.4 points, 2.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 33.9 minutes per game. He leads the team in points per game, total minutes played (237), field goals made (53) and field goal percentage.
Here is a closer look at the week for Hill:
Nov. 1 at San Antonio: Finished with 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting to go with seven assists in a 106-91 victory over the Spurs.
Nov. 2 vs. Dallas: Posted 25 points, six rebounds and four assists in a 97-81 victory over the Mavericks.
Nov. 6 at New York: Recorded 23 points, nine assists, two steals and two rebounds in a 114-109 win over the Knicks.
He also participated this week in the Utah Jazz “Commitment to Service” event at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salt Lake City. Joined by active military members from Hill Air Force Base, Hill assisted in fall clean-up of the grounds and participated in the dedication ceremony of a refurbished gymnasium as part of Hoops for Troops Week activities.
Hill is the 52nd player in Jazz history to win the award, and the first since April 1, 2013 (Al Jefferson). The award, which is given weekly since the 1979-80 season, was originally the NBA Player of the Week before splitting into Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week in 2001-02.
Cleveland’s LeBron James was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week. Other nominees for the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week were Atlanta’s Dwight Howard, Charlotte’s Kemba Walker, Houston’s James Harden, L.A. Clippers’ Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Orlando’s Evan Fournier, Portland’s Damian Lillard and Phoenix’s Devin Booker.