via the Chronicle:
Adelman did not just give Hill playing time this season because Hill is tall and jumps high. Hill learned that he would have to earn that playing time. He would have to work and focus and learn. He would have to bring consistent intensity. He would have to improve.
Adelman did not forget Hill somewhere on the end of the bench, though some nights it might have seemed that he did. He spoke often of what Hill can bring that no other Rockets player can, citing Hill’s length and ability to climb all over the glass. But he and Rockets coaches also had to show Hill how to earn playing time since they were not going to just give it to him as if he was a kid signing up for the YMCA league.
I found the passage interesting because just last week, I had advocated the exact opposite: giving Hill playing time despite his struggles. A reader, nbalaw, wrote:
In any case, I’m not sure its better to just let a young player get more minutes to develop, despite missed assignments. If your poor play is due to your jump shot being off (See Chase Budinger) or some confidence issue then that is a different story, but IMO Jordan Hill is being pulled because he is being held accountable for not doing his job within the system.
I’m not so sure that feeding a young player minutes is always best for his development. They must learn accountability. However, there is a fine line that some coaches cross, where they don’t cut a young player enough slack and kill their confidence. See Byron Scott. However, I don’t think Rick is that type of coach. Jordan Hill is not Kevin Love.
It appears Rick sees it the same as the reader and in this instance, for Jordan Hill, the approach is paying off.
