December 22, 2012; Oakland, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers center Jordan Hill (27) dunks the ball against the Golden State Warriors during the fourth quarter at ORACLE Arena. The Lakers defeated the Warriors 118-115 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

2012-13 stats:

6.7 PTS, 5.7 REB, 0.4 AST, 49.7 FG%, 65.6 FT%, 29 GP, 1 GS

Season recap: 

Jordan Hill, or Garbage Man, was out for most of the season due to a left hip injury. However, Hill played pretty well when he was healthy. He was the perfect energy guy off the bench for the Lakers. He’s not a great scorer, but he is an amazing rebounder, especially on the offensive end. Of his 5.7 rebounds a game, 2.8 of them were offensive. That’s pretty good, if I do say so myself. Hill was a great player to fill in for Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol since he can play either the power forward, or  the center spot. It was sad to see what could have been a career year for Hill end so early.

Jordan Hill did return to the Lakers in the playoffs, but played on a minutes restriction. He averaged 3.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and about one block in just 10 minutes a game. If he had played 36 minutes a game, he would have averaged around 12 points, 13 rebounds, and two blocks. That’s definitely impressive.

2013-14 season forecast: 

I’m just going to come out and say it: I love Jordan Hill. The dude is an animal on the boards and can play power forward, or center thanks to his height (6’10). He has showed a lot of potential to be a legitimate big off the bench. He brings so much energy — something the Lakers needed badly this season. Next year, depending on how the off season goes, he will probably be the 6th or 7th man; that is a role he has shown he can thrive in with the Lakers as long as he is healthy.

2013-14 season projections:

I believe Hill will get around 20-25 minutes off the bench next season. He could put up averages of 10 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks, and shoot 48 percent from the field. Hopefully he is back to full health — and I hope the dreads are back, as well.

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November 18, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Houston Rockets point guard Jeremy Lin (7) and Los Angeles Lakers center Jordan Hill (27) land on the floor in the second half of the game at the Staples Center. Lakers won 119-108. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Three months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn hip labrum suffered on Jan. 6th, reports are surfacing that Jordan Hill will be available in limited minutes moving forward.

Hill was originally cleared to start doing increased rehabilitation in early April, and the timetable given for his full return was 3-4 weeks – well into the Western Conference Finals.

Fortunately Hill has progressed well ahead of schedule and according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski will be used in game situations as early as game 2.

Hill was an integral piece of the Lakers lineup prior to the injury, averaging 6.7 points and 5.7 rebounds. A welcome face as the Lakers trail the Spurs 1-0.