Hill has given up drinking alcohol in a bid to improve his overall health, level of fitness and recovery abilities, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Hill posted career highs last season by scoring 9.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game in just 21 minutes per game, but couldn't contribute more due to fatigue, which set in after a few minutes. If his fitness and recovery speed has improved markedly as Hill says it has, he's a good bet to play significantly more minutes and put up very helpful numbers for fantasy leagues. He should be considered a late round target with significant upside.

Hill is likely to begin training camp as the starting center, although no official announcement has been made yet, NBA.com reports.

Coach Byron Scott has been praising Hill this offseason and it's no real surprise that he will get the first crack at the starting job over Ed Davis and Robert Sacre. Down the stretch last season, Hill racked up five double-doubles in the last eight games and has upside as a fantasy option provided he can stay healthy.

Hill will play good minutes at center this season amid the morass of frontcourt players the Lakers have accumulated this offseason, head coach Byron Scott stated on the Lakers' official Twitter account.

Hill was projected to be the Lakers' starting center, but it's good to hear it come from someone within the organization. Scott also mentioned that newcomer Ed Davis would see time at the five, presumably backing up Hill. Last season, in former coach Mike D'Antoni's offense, Hill put up impressive per-36 minutes stats of 16.7 points and 12.8 rebounds and he is on the verge of a breakout campaign in 2014-15.

Jordan Hill has agreed to a two-year, $18 million deal with the Lakers.

It's a fairly expensive deal at $9 million per, but at least it's just for two seasons. Hill had a tough time staying court last season and his conditioning capped his minutes per game a bit. Still, the Lakers needed size and depth, so it's a good fit. He won't be worth drafting in most leagues.

The Lakers, Mavericks and Rockets are expected to be interested in unrestricted free agent Jordan Hill.

He spent two and a half years with the Rockets and about the same time with the Lakers over the last three seasons. Hill's minutes were held in check due to conditioning and injuries with the Lakers last year and he'll likely remain in the high teens for minutes as a backup big man.

Jordan Hill had 18 points, 14 rebounds, a steal and two blocks on 7-of-13 shooting as the Lakers beat the resting Spurs in Wednesday's finale.

The Lakers weren't very good at tanking over the last week, and got a very balanced attack in the win. Nick Young scored 16, Kendall Marshall had 15 points and 11 assists, Jodie Meeks scored 14, Ryan Kelly scored 12, Wes Johnson had 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Robert Sacre and Jordan Farmar chipped in with 10 a piece. We think we speak for all Lakers fans when we say that it's finally over. Many of these guys came through for fantasy owners tonight, but the minutes were too evenly divided for any of them to really go nuts.

Jordan Hill had easy buckets all night against the Jazz on Monday, finishing with 21 points, six boards and one block in 24 minutes.

The Jazz have been torched by big men all season and Hill kept his momentum going. In his last five, he averaged 16.6 points, 8.4 boards, 2.0 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks on 58.7 percent from the field. He'll be a must-start player against the Spurs on Wednesday.

Jordan Hill (migraine) double-doubled with 10 points and 10 rebounds in 27 minutes during Sunday's loss to the visiting Grizzlies.

Hill added three assists, one steal and two blocks, and the defensive stats are a nice sight -- even as a starter he's only averaging 0.4 steals and 1.0 blocks this season. With Pau Gasol (vertigo) done for the year and Chris Kaman (calf) questionable to return, Hill should remain a solid option.

Jordan Hill is suffering from a migraine but he's still expected to play on Sunday.

If he is unexpectedly ruled out, Robert Sacre will start for the Lakers' decimated frontcourt. The Lakers' game tips off at 9:30 ET so we won't have to wait long for official confirmation of his status.

Jordan Hill scored 18 points on 7-of-18 shooting with 12 rebounds, four assists and two steals in the Lakers' 112-95 loss to the Warriors on Friday.

Hill is doing what everybody hoped he might be able to do all season, if not for knee limitations and Mike D'Antoni's magically changing lineups. It looks like he'll be fun to own for the rest of the year, but we'd be lying if we said we're not crossing all sorts of fingers and toes.

Jordan Hill started at center in Friday's loss to the Mavs, scoring 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting with 10 rebounds, one steal and two blocks in 31 minutes.

As long as Pau Gasol (vertigo) appears to be headed toward a shutdown then Hill has a decent shot at being a worthwhile gamble. He's red hot right now so hopefully if you pick him up you haven't missed out on the good stuff.

Jordan Hill scored 18 points on 5-of-15 shooting (8-of-10 FTs) with 15 rebounds and four blocks in 29 minutes on Wednesday against the Kings.

Congratulations if you had the stones to start Hill tonight as Mike D'Antoni chose to let DeMarcus Cousins have his way down low in lieu of a small lineup. Unfortunately, big-minute outings for Hill are usually followed up by periods of rest because of his knee, but it's hard to tell owners to outright avoid him after some of his recent explosions. Just be sure to check that game log before adding him. Kent Bazemore added 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting with seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and two threes in the loss.

Jordan Hill (illness) will start against the Kings on Wednesday night.

He had a stomach problem and missed some of the pre-game activities, but Hill is going to be in the starting lineup. The big man received a DNP-CD on Tuesday, but Chris Kaman (calf) and Pau Gasol (illness) being out should get the U of A product some significant minutes tonight.

Jordan Hill is dealing with an upset stomach on Wednesday and is hopeful to play against the Kings.

Well, when it rains, it pours. The Lakers are already without Chris Kaman (calf) and Pau Gasol (vertigo), so losing Hill would make them extremely shorthanded. This season can't end soon enough for the Lakers.

Jordan Hill will start against the Kings on Wednesday.

He'll join Ryan Kelly, Kendall Marshall, Kent Bazemore and Jodie Meeks in the first unit. Hill got the dubious DNP-CD on Tuesday and he should get a lot of run tonight. He's not a completely safe start, but his upside could pay off.

Jordan Hill said that he wouldn't want to return for the Lakers next season if he didn't have a larger and steadier role in the rotation.

"Of course not," said Hill, after picking up a DNP-CD on Tuesday. "Who would?" That essentially ties his future with the Lakers to Mike D'Antoni's status as head coach, and it will be very interesting to see which direction L.A. takes with only three fully guaranteed contracts on the books for 2014-15.

Jordan Hill was a DNP-CD on Tuesday night vs. the Blazers.

There was a chance his minutes were going to go south with Chris Kaman in the starting lineup and how he played just 18 minutes on Sunday, but a DNP was surprising. Hill has battled through injury and maybe he just got some rest on a back-to-back set. If you want to cut him because of this, it makes a lot of sense.

Jordan Hill was outstanding during Thursday's 108-105 loss to the Bucks, matching his career-high 28 points with 16 boards, one steal and one turnover on 13-of-17 from the field.

He was awesome on the offensive glass with a career high nine on that end and he only committed two fouls. Hill was a colossal letdown on Tuesday night due to foul trouble, so he put that one behind him. Hill has busted out numerous times during the course of the season, but it doesn't take long for that value to dissipate. That said, the bottom line is fantasy owners have to pick him up with two massive lines in his last three.

Jordan Hill played just 14 minutes against the Knicks on Tuesday with nine points, five boards and one turnover.

The bar was set very high for Hill tonight with Pau Gasol (illness) and he didn't entirely disappoint in limited playing time. He got himself into foul trouble and it kept his minutes way down. Those who picked up Hill had to have this outcome in their realm of possibilities, so they shouldn't be pressing the panic button or anything because foul trouble was a bit of a culprit.

Jordan Hill moved into the starting lineup on Sunday and immediately went to work, scoring a career-high 28 points with 13 rebounds, one block and zero turnovers in a win vs. Orlando.

He posted a solid line with 14 points, nine rebounds and four blocks on Friday, and fantasy owners shouldn't hesitate to deploy him while he's in Mike D'Antoni's good graces. Hill made 9-of-15 field goals and a career-high 10-of-13 free throws, and his short-term outlook is even better if Pau Gasol misses any games due to his mysterious dizziness and nausea.