Last Updated on July 27, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Second-chance points often started with Jordan Hill, an American power forward and center whose NBA career was built around crashing the offensive glass, sprinting into screen-and-roll actions, and outworking bigger bodies for loose rebounds. His scoring rarely came from elaborate moves, but by carving out space near the rim, finishing quickly off drop-offs, and staying active from possession to possession, Hill consistently gave his teams extra opportunities without demanding the ball.

Here are the details for Jordan Hill:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Jordan Craig Hill
  • Nationality: American
  • Age: Born July 27, 1987
  • Hometown: Newberry, South Carolina, USA
  • Height: 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 meters)
  • Weight: 235 pounds (107 kg) during his playing career
  • Wingspan: 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 meters)
  • Shoe Size: Size 17 (US)
  • Number: Wore 27, 43, 5, and 2 during his NBA career
  • Position: Power Forward / Center
  • High School:
    • Glenn Hills High School in Augusta, Georgia
    • The Patterson School in Lenoir, North Carolina
  • College: University of Arizona (2006–2009)
  • NBA Draft: 2009 NBA Draft, 8th overall pick by the New York Knicks
  • Teams Played For:
    • New York Knicks (2009–2010)
    • Houston Rockets (2010–2012)
    • Los Angeles Lakers (2012–2015)
    • Indiana Pacers (2015–2016)
    • Minnesota Timberwolves (2016–2017)
  • Championship Rings: 0 (Did not win an NBA championship)
  • Kids: Information on children is not widely documented
  • Siblings: Not publicly documented

Player Archetype / Play Style

Jordan Hill’s player archetype was that of an energy big: a mobile, hard-running interior forward/center who made his living on rebounds, hustle plays, rim finishes, and defensive activity rather than polished shot creation. At 6-foot-10 with a long frame, good leaping ability, and enough mobility to move in space, he fit best offensively as a pick-and-roll finisher, garbage-point scorer, and second-chance threat, while defensively he was most useful as a versatile frontcourt helper who could contest at the rim, switch out a bit better than traditional bigs, and clean the glass at a high rate. His overall play style was forceful and workmanlike: crash the boards, run the floor, defend with energy, and do the dirty work that helped lineups function. (Silver Screen and Roll)

Scouting Report

Jordan Hill always seemed to create his best moments a split second after everyone else thought the play was over. Missed shots, loose balls and broken possessions had a habit of ending up in his hands because he tracked the ball so well off the rim and reacted before defenders reset their feet. What stands out is that he wasn’t an especially polished offensive player, but he generated points through activity that couldn’t easily be scripted. He sprinted into early drag screens, rolled hard enough to occupy weak-side help and slipped behind ball watching defenders for put-backs or dump-off finishes. If he caught the ball around the foul line, he’d occasionally knock down a short jumper, though asking him to create from the elbows or punish switches with advanced post moves usually took him away from his strengths. Defensively, Hill covered more ground than he often received credit for. He could hedge a pick-and-roll, recover to his own man and use his length to challenge at the rim without completely abandoning rebounding position. He wasn’t a natural anchor in deep drop coverage because timing and positioning could drift against experienced guards manipulating screens, and stronger post scorers were capable of moving him underneath the basket when they established early seals. The trade-off was that his energy occasionally outpaced his discipline. He could chase a block that wasn’t there or leave his feet too quickly on a shot fake, creating an extra rotation behind him. Even so, his willingness to run, screen and relentlessly attack the glass gave second units an injection of pace that changed the feel of games. To me, Hill fit best beside a playmaking guard who consistently rewarded rim runs and a floor-spacing frontcourt partner who opened the lane for dives to the basket. His game shared elements of Brandon Bass’ dependable interior work and Kenneth Faried’s knack for turning hustle into production, although Hill leaned more toward controlled rebounding and interior timing than overwhelming athleticism or highlight plays.

Sources:

Arizona Desert Swarm — Season Retrospective: Jordan Hill
Silver Screen and Roll — Why Jordan Hill is best frontcourt defender on Lakers roster
NBC Sports — Jordan Hill says improved outside shooting won’t change the rest of his game