The Newz

It's getting late in the season, peoples. As such, you won't be seeing any major updates regarding transactions or anything of that nature. But that doesn't mean there's nothing to talk about!

Without further ado...

Hill Debuts...

Perhaps the biggest nugget from this week was George Hill's debut with the Sixers. The 34-year-old had been out since late January after injuring his right thumb and requiring subsequent surgery.

In his first game action, he was understandably rusty and was not called upon for major minutes despite the Sixers thinned rotation--he came off the pine for 17:30 and scored 2 points and dished out 2 assists. In the three games he has played as of this writing, he's given the Sixers 6.3 points on 57.1/66.7/33.3 in 20.6 minutes.

Don't pay the uninspiring numbers any mind. Hill is a veteran professional and has the type of game that fits in anywhere. He'll ramp his play up and be a boon for the second unit as a steady ballhandler, floor spacer, and point-of-attack defender. Such is the impact you expect from a guy who has been a 40.3% sniper since 2015 and who has improved his teams by 4.7 points since 2011.

But Everyone Else is Hurt...

Coinciding with Hill's first impressions on the court has unfortunately been the absence of numerous key Sixers. In particular, the starting lineup has been devastated.

Seth Curry has alternated starts and DNPs over the past four games because of hip problems. Tobias Harris' bone bruise recently cost him three straight before returning to the court Thursday night in Milwaukee. Ben Simmons has been fighting a mysterious non-COVID related illness and hasn't suited up since last Friday. He seems like he might be good to go Saturday at least.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the intermittent availability of the top guys has resulted in a rough week--the Sixers have dropped all 3 of their contests so far to fall back into a virtual tie atop the Conference with Brooklyn, though they still hold the tiebreaker.

Hopefully this is just an unfortunate, ill-timed rash of injuries and they can right the ship for the final 13 games.

But at Least We have Anthony Tolliver, Right?

Yes, we do. For another ten days, in fact!

In two games for the Sixers, the 6'8" forward has been held scoreless on field goal attempts across 18 total minutes. He has collected two steals and a block for what it's worth, though.

Other Odds and Ends

I'm enjoying this addition! I get to showcase some other fun stories written by awesome writers. Anyway:

--A guy with 8 rings had some nice things to say about the Sixers' chances at a run.

--Doc Rivers thinks the Sixers got screwed over by the schedule.

--Someone other than me sings Danny Green's praise for a change.

--Stephen A. Smith though it was a bad idea for Sixers fans to heckle KD:

We'll see come playoff time.