George Hill was solid in his Sixers debut. He gives Doc Rivers better options off the bench.
Hill had not played since Jan. 24 due to a thumb injury. His size and versatility are a plus for Doc Rivers and the 76ers.
Considering the circumstances, 76ers coach Doc Rivers says he was impressed with guard George Hill’s first game with his team. What really excited Rivers is not so much how Hill performed in his Sixers debut, but what the future can hold once he shakes some of the expected rust.
After an 84-day absence, Hill returned to the court and played 17 minutes, 30 seconds in Monday’s 107-96 home loss to the Golden State Warriors.
Hill injured his right thumb on Jan. 24 and underwent surgery on Feb. 2. He was later dealt to the Sixers at the March 25 trade deadline from Oklahoma City in a three-team deal.
Looking at the statistics, it appears that Hill struggled against Golden State. He shot 1-for-5 with two assists and two turnovers, but also had two blocked shots.
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He has the ability to play the point or off the ball and despite turning 35 on May 4, Hill is expected to improve an already strong defensive unit that is second in the NBA in defensive rating, allowing 106.6 points per 100 possessions.
“It’s going to be good [having Hill], especially on the defensive end,” said Joel Embiid, who scored 28 points, snapping a three-game streak of scoring 36 or more points.
Statistics aside, Rivers said there was a lot to like about Hill’s Sixers debut.
“He actually looked great overall, you know he is a little rusty,” Rivers said. “But he is just so darn smart and did so many little things and I am very happy to have him, put it that way. He is really going to help us.”
A big reason why Hill was acquired was his postseason experience. He has appeared in 127 playoff games, with a 12.1 scoring average.
There were times in Monday’s game where the Sixers played four guards with one big man and Rivers said that could be a future plan due to Hill’s presence.
“It is absolutely where we want to go with our second unit,” Rivers said.
Not only was it his debut, but Hill spent time covering Steph Curry, who scored 49 points, the 11th straight game of 30 or more. Its the hottest stretch for the seven-time All-Star.
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Rivers said Hill wanted to guard Curry.
According to NBA.com stats, Curry shot 3-for-5 from the field, including 2-for-3 from three-point range with Hill as the primary defender.
“I like the challenge, I think he’s on a historic run right now,” Hill said of Curry. “He is making tough shots from everywhere on the floor.”
Hill is also a 38.4% career three-point shooter so he is expected to add to the Sixers perimeter game. One area that won’t show up on the stat sheet is the knowledge that Hill can pass on to his new teammates.
“He’s been bringing a lot to the team off the court,” said Matisse Thybulle, who had a season-high tying 13 points along seven rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot against the Warriors. “He’s been huge for me just as a defender himself, giving me tips and things to look for guarding some of these elite guards.”
The big challenge for Hill is to get in basketball shape. The Sixers (39-18) have 15 regular-season games left, beginning with Wednesday’s matchup with the Phoenix Suns (41-16) at the Wells Fargo Center. Phoenix kicked off a five-game road trip with Monday’s 128-127 overtime win at Milwaukee.
“Stamina was a little super rusty,” Hill said “To get your wind from not playing this style of basketball in the last two months and three weeks, kind of takes a toll but I feel like the only way you can get it back is to put yourself in the fire and go through it and thankfully coach trusts me to go out there and compete and guard a guy like Curry in the midst of all this, me coming back.”