CHICAGO, IL -- Indiana Pacers guard George Hill is questionable to play during Monday's game against the Chicago Bulls. Not having Hill would be a huge loss for the Pacers, but it gets even worse when the possibility of Rodney Stuckey not playing is factored into the equation. Stuckey is still dealing with a right ankle sprain. Stuckey originally sprained his right ankle in the team's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers last Sunday, but he re-aggravated this injury the night after in the Pacers' win over the Orlando Magic. Myles Turner will remain inactive as he is recovering from a chip fracture in his left thumb.
Monta Ellis will likely be the point guard if George Hill and Rodney Stuckey don't play. With Ellis moving to point guard, the Pacers would likely start either Chase Budinger or Glenn Robinson III at shooting guard. It is more likely that Robinson would get that starting role since Budinger's role is similar to the role of C.J. Miles. That means that Budinger sometimes defends power forwards and then spaces the floor on offense. The rotation would be too out of sync if Budinger were to start at shooting guard, therefore, it would make more sense for Robinson to get that role. Robinson scored a career high 11 points in the team's 107-103 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. So it is safe to say that Robinson has the hot hand and is ready for the opportunity if needed. Joseph Young could get some backup point guard minutes if both Hill and Stuckey are not able to play.
Projected Rotation: If George Hill Plays and Rodney Stuckey Doesn't Play
PG: George Hill
SG: Monta Ellis, Glenn Robinson
SF: C.J. Miles, Chase Budinger
PF: Paul George, Lavoy Allen
C: Ian Mahinmi, Jordan Hill
Projected Rotation: If Rodney Stuckey Plays and George Hill Doesn't Play
PG: Monta Ellis, Rodney Stuckey
SG: Chase Budinger, Solomon Hill (Possibly)
SF: C.J. Miles, Chase Budinger
PF: Paul George, Lavoy Allen
C: Ian Mahinmi, Jordan Hill
Projected Rotation: If Both George Hill and Rodney Stuckey Don't Play
PG:: Monta Ellis, Joseph Young (Possibly)
SG: Glenn Robinson III, Solomon Hill (Possibly)
SF: C.J. Miles, Chase Budinger
PF: Paul George, Lavoy Allen
C: Ian Mahinmi, Jordan Hill
Projected Rotation: If George Hill and Rodney Stuckey Both Play
PG: George Hill, Rodney Stuckey
SG: Monta Ellis, Glenn Robinson III
SF: C.J. Miles, Chase Budinger
PF: Paul George, Lavoy Allen
C: Ian Mahinmi, Jordan Hill
All signs point to Rodney Stuckey coming off the bench no matter what, even if George Hill does not play. As previously mentioned, Indiana will probably move Ellis to point guard and add a floor spacing player to the starting shooting guard spot (like Glenn Robinson III) if Hill doesn't play. It is a different story if Stuckey doesn't play, but the Pacers have already shown what they would do in this scenario. George Hill, Monta Ellis and Paul George would all spend time as a primary ball handler throughout the game if Rodney Stuckey can't play. Monta Ellis, Paul George and possibly even Joseph Young would get minutes as a primary ball handler if both Stuckey and Hill can't play. Solomon Hill or Joseph Young could get minutes if both players are inactive, but a decision regarding this situation has not been made public.
Indiana would be missing out on a lot of offensive production if Myles Turner, George Hill and Rodney Stuckey are all out for Monday's game. Turner is a given to be out, but it would be nice for the Pacers to at least have either Hill or Stuckey play. It wouldn't be a crisis scenario to be missing all three of these players, but it certainly would call for everybody else to step up. Chicago is a good team and this game is an important one to win, so the Pacers could really use all of the weapons that they can get. Hill and Stuckey would be missed be heavily missed on the defensive side of the ball though, which is arguably the hardest area to overcome their absence. Their offense is valuable, but their defense is even more important to this Pacers team.