Philadelphia 76ers
While Joel Embiid is currently out with a knee injury, the Philadelphia 76ers are still one of the top teams in the league and have held the top spot in the Eastern Conference for a while now. The lead the Brooklyn Nets by a game in the Eastern Conference standings, but full healthy, this 76ers team is really dangerous, especially after acquiring George Hill at the trade deadline.
Philadelphia was in the running to acquire Kyle Lowry and were expected to be able to get a deal done at one point, but after negotiations and talks with the Raptors fell through, Lowry remained in Toronto, so the 76ers went with their next best option at point guard in George Hill.
After leading the league in three-point shooting last season, George Hill played in just 14 games with the Thunder before being traded to the Sixers due to a thumb injury that kept him sidelined. Over the course of his now 13-year career though, Hill has been very productive, averaging 11.1 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and shooting 38.4% from three-point range.
Outside of Ben Simmons, the 76ers do not really have a primary ball-handler and facilitator, which is why they aggressively pursued a point guard at the trade deadline. George Hill is not the best floor general, but he is a proven, veteran guard that is more than capable of leading this team when his number is called.
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With Simmons, Embiid and Harris being the three focal points of the 76ers offense, George Hill will fit right in and fly under-the-radar a bit because of all the attention that will be drawn by these three guys. Not only will this leave him open for three-point opportunities, but it will allow him to make the extra passes to get wide-open shots for everyone else.
Getting George Hill does not push the 76ers “over-the-top” in terms of contending for a championship, but gives them yet another consistent asset to utilize in their championship push. With Embiid playing like the league MVP before injuring his knee, the 76ers definitely have a chance to win a title this year, but they will need to get healthy quickly.
