George Hill’s addition gives Sixers another much needed proven postseason veteran

LOS ANGELES — When the NBA campaign concludes, the 76ers’ regular-season success won’t really matter.

They will be judged by what they’ll do in the postseason.

Sure, it’s great to have the Eastern Conference’s best record of 32-14. Doc Rivers is also a favorite to win his second coach of the year award. Joel Embiid is among the MVP front-runners, as is Ben Simmons for defensive player of the year.

Finishing with the conference’s best record and obtaining individual awards are good for team morale. But if we’re going to be honest, team president of basketball operations Daryl Morey, Rivers, Embiid and Simmons can’t afford to fall short of a conference finals appearance.

» READ MORE: Sixers acquire Thunder point guard George Hill, Kyle Lowry remains with Raptors

Can you imagine the national story lines if that doesn’t happen?

Some may write Morey is a great executive, but question if he can get a team to the NBA Finals. They’ll talk about Rivers being a future Hall of Fame coach, who hasn’t gotten out of the second round since coaching the Boston Celtics. Simmons and Embiid are great regular-season players, but can’t get their team over the hump in the postseason.

That’s why the acquisition of George Hill, a playoff-tested veteran, was so important.

Los Angeles Lakers future Hall of Famer LeBron James is the league’s all-time leader in postseason appearances with 260 games. Sixers starting small forward Danny Green is fourth at 145. Hill is 11th (127) and reserve center Dwight Howard is 18th (113).

So the Sixers now have three of the league’s top 18 leaders in postseason appearances in their rotation.

Hill has averaged 12.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and a shade under one steal (0.9) while shooting 37.0% on three-pointers with 91 starts during his 127 appearances. He participated in the 2018 NBA Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers. As an Indiana Pacer, he reached back-to-back Eastern Conference finals in 2013 and 2014. He did the same with Bucks in 2019.

Hill, a 13th-year veteran, has advanced to the postseason in 11 of his previous 12 seasons.

His postseason success was a big factor in why the Sixers acquired Hill from the Oklahoma City Thunder in Thursday’s three-team deal.

“Obviously, shooting being a premium for us, and I think he maybe led the NBA in shooting recently,” said Morey. “I think that’s been a big theme for us to get the shooting in a two-way player like sort of Danny [Green].”

Last season, Hill shot a league-best 46.0% on three-pointers and averaged 9.8 points with the Milwaukee Bucks. Hill averaged 11.8 points, 3.1 assists, 2.1 rebounds, and 26.4 minutes in 14 games this season in Oklahoma City.

Hill is also averaging 11.1 points, 3.2 assists, and shooting 38.4% on three-pointers in 799 career games with 463 starts. He also gives the Sixers a pure point guard, who can run the team.

“I sort of see him as an acquisition like we did with Danny Green, a guy who’s been through a lot of playoff wars,” Morey said. “A guy who can hit shots at a high level such that when Joel is double-teamed or people have to collapse on Ben in the paint, those passes out will be shot at a very high percentage. And on top of it, both Danny and George give you solid defense, solid playoff-tested defense.

So that was a big factor as well.”

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Green and Hill were San Antonio Spurs teammates during the 2010-11 seasons. The two are close friends. Before the season, the two were talking about the possibility of being reunited this season. At the time, Hill was with the Thunder after being traded from the Bucks. Meanwhile, Green was traded to Oklahoma City from the Lakers, and waiting to officially be traded, again, to the Sixers.

“He said, ‘I might be on the move again. This might happen. I might end up in Philly,’ " Green said. “I was like, ‘We’ll take you. Make it happen. If I need to make a call. I’ll tell them to bring you over there.’

“It only took ... four months for it to happen. But he’s here now, a hell of a player, even better person.”