George Hill, Sixers assess his team debut in home loss to Warriors
George Hill #GeorgeHill
The Philadelphia 76ers were shorthanded heading into Monday’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors as they did not have Ben Simmons or Tobias Harris in a game that was tough without their services. Without Simmons, they had a tough time against Steph Curry and without Harris, they were missing their go-to scorer in a loss at home.
What the Sixers did have, however, was the debut of George Hill. He played in his first game on Monday since Jan. 24 with the Oklahoma City Thunder and he certainly looked a little rusty. He finished with two points, two rebounds, and two assists in 17:30 of playing time.
“I don’t think I played well,” said Hill. “It was great to be back out there with the guys, back on the court for three months off, but I got a little way to go. Get in shape, but I like the style, I like the opportunity, so just got to get take advantage of it.”
It is tough to be thrown into the fire against a team like the Warriors and a guy like Steph Curry, but Hill did a solid job for somebody who hadn’t played in almost three months. He was able to get into a groove after his initial stint and as the game went on, he was able to get his legs underneath him a bit.
“I think once you get your stance in the game where you can get your feet up under you, your competitive drive starts to take over, you just want to compete,” Hill added. “Just play hard on the defensive end and let the offense take care of itself. The talk that I had with coach (Doc) Rivers before the game is not trying to put too much pressure on me offensively. Just let the game come to me on both ends of the floor. At the same time just getting the rust off and let it take care of itself.”
Once Hill gets himself acclimated with the team and he is able to get himself into a rhythm within the team’s system, he will be able to contribute more. For now, he just has to continue to work hard and get his wind back.
“He actually looked great overall,” said Rivers. “You could tell he was rusty, but he’s just so darn smart and he did so many little things. I’m very happy to have him, let me put it that way, he’s gonna really help us. Tonight, we were flat. We didn’t have a lot of juice, for whatever reason, and that happens, but I thought he was actually pretty good.”
Hill is here to help the team win in the playoffs and these final games before the postseason are going to be pretty helpful for him. He just has to be able to get chemistry with the roster.
“He’s gonna be good,” said Joel Embiid. “I thought he did a good job, especially on the defensive end. I think he’s even gonna be better for us. His experience in the playoffs is gonna play a huge role in it.”
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