To build off an electric day three of the NBA 2K24 Summer League that saw 52 total minutes of former Illini in action, day four had just one person for Illinois fans to get excited about. However, the brightside is that the Illini in question is perhaps the one fans will be most familiar with, four-year Illini Malcolm Hill.
Hill attended Illinois from 2013-2017 and started in all but one of his final 102 appearances. As an upperclassman, Hill led the team in scoring along with dishing out a team high 2.9 assists per game as a senior. After his time in orange and blue, Hill bounced around various international leagues but has spent the majority of his time since 2021 in the G League.
Starting out with the New Orleans Pelicans affiliate Birmingham Squadron, Hill later switched to Chicago’s Windy City Bulls where he averaged 18.1 points per game in 2021-22 and 15.1 in 2022-23. During these stretches Hill agreed to several short-term NBA contracts, the first of which was a 10-day deal with the Atlanta Hawks. In three games with the Hawks, he put up an incredibly efficient 5.7 points per game while shooting 62.5% from the field and 60.0% from deep.
Despite this, the Hawks did not give Hill a second contract. Hill was quickly given new opportunities though, as his time with the Windy City Bulls quickly turned into stints with the Chicago Bulls. Through 21 games with the Bulls there was a collective drop in minutes, points and efficiency for Hill, resulting in 2.9 points per game while shooting 43.8% from the field and 32.4% from behind the arc.
This year is Hill’s fifth year in the Summer League since leaving Champaign-Urbana, with his best year coming last summer with the Bulls. In five games, Hill averaged 13.0 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while the Bulls churned out an impressive 4-1 record.
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To start his 2023 campaign, Hill was given just 12 minutes in the Orlando Magic’s game one loss to the Detroit Pistons but still managed to do what he does best during that time. Dropping in five points while making two of his three shots, Hill was the moniker of an efficient bench bucket-getter.
Those interested in reliving old times can tune in to see Hill and the Magic at 7:30 p.m. CT on NBA TV. Tipping off at host UNLV’s Thomas and Mack Center, they will be facing an Indiana Pacers squad who comfortably took home a 91-83 victory on Saturday.
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