Jordan

Hill

Hill, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2009 draft, gives the Lakers another big body at 6'10/235. However, he’s shown no signs of living up to his draft status through four seasons in New York and Houston. Hill has averaged just 5.4 points and 4.2 rebounds in his career.

Hill allegedly choked a family member during an altercation. The immediate ramifications here are unclear, but Hill had been soaring up the Lakers’ depth chart of late. In Sunday’s Game 1 win, he played 24 minutes as the primary big off the bench. The Houston district attorney’s office said Hill faces 2-10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The Lakers host the Nuggets in Game 2 at the Staples Center on Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. ET. Hill could certainly make his court appearance on his felony assault charge and make it back in time for the game. His lawyer is likely also trying to delay the proceeding. For what it’s worth, Hill said he doesn’t not expect to miss any practices or games. Josh McRoberts would be the first big off the bench if Hill does miss time.

Hill was at the morning shootaround, so it sounds like he got his felony assault court date pushed back. He’s expected to be the first big off the bench for the Lakers Tuesday.

Hill has passed both Josh McRoberts and Troy Murphy on the depth chart thanks to his eye-opening play off the bench. Fantasy playoff owners just need to note that this is the ceiling as the Lakers ride Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol for heavy minutes.

It sounds like Hill is going to fly to Houston to appear in court Tuesday morning and then get back in time for the 10:30 p.m. ET tip against the Nuggets in Los Angeles. Or perhaps his lawyer has gotten him out of the Tuesday court date. Either way, the 2009 No. 8 overall pick has been a big boost to the Lakers’ bench of late, racking up a double-double in Sunday’s Game 1 win.

The plan is for Hill to test his knee out in practice, and the team will make a decision about his status after they see how it goes. Even when healthy, Hill will struggle to find any minutes in the Lakers frontcourt and rotation and isn’t a fantasy option.

Ebanks is worth deep league consideration and that’s about it. Sessions’ inclusion is the most interesting, as it indicates that his shoulder injury may be on the mend. He’ll be a decent fantasy start that carries a bunch of risk. Blake could log big minutes and put up low-end numbers, while Hill is the better of the two big man plays and deserves standard league consideration. McBob is a versatile producer when given the minutes, but he’ll be a flier play for deeper formats.

Hill was hurt when he fell during practice, and he’s scheduled to undergo an MRI to confirm the diagnosis. Houston is expected to call up center Greg Smith from the D-League.

Hill isn’t ruling out Tuesday or Wednesday, but said his most likely return date is Saturday’s game against the Nets. He’ll wear a brace on his sprained MCL. Hill was playing 15.1 minutes per night before going down.