Coming into the NBA as the #3 pick to the Detroit Pistons, Hill won co-Rookie of the Year with Jason Kidd with a stat line of 19.9, 6.4 rbs, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals. His PER for the first 6 seasons averaged 22.5 and even posted a win/share total of 14.6 in 1996-97.
He was the biggest basketball brand aside from His Airness #23.
Hill went down in a playoff game with an ankle injury that was devastating. He continued playing on it that series and effectively ruined the rest of his career. Despite the ankle injury, the Orlando Magic signed Hill and Tracy McGrady in free agency in 2000 to be the next Michael & Scottie. With Hill and McGrady running on the wings that team would have been scary good and athletic. The injury and subsequent rehab was so calamitous that he almost died from a staph infection.
Grant Hill had a brief resurgence under the care of the Phoenix Suns miraculous medical team and averaged 30 minutes per game over four full seasons; however, he never regained the dynamism and explosiveness pre-injury. For me, Grant Hill was the one player who would have been legendary without the injury.
