Daryl Morey discusses play of George Hill, free agency for Sixers
The Philadelphia 76ers had a solid 2020-21 season on paper.
The team went from being swept out of the first round in 2020 to earning the No. 1 seed heading into the 2021 playoffs. However, some familiar issues arose again and the team was ousted in the second round after losing Game 7 at home.
The Sixers must figure out what to do moving forward and that means figuring out what to do with their potential free agents and role players.
One of those decisions is George Hill who the team acquired from the Oklahoma City Thunder at the March 25 deadline. His contract is partially guaranteed for the 2021-22 season for $1.27 million until June 30 when it will become fully guaranteed if he is not waived before then.
“None of those determinations have been made, but I will say that we really like what George brought,” said team president Daryl Morey. “He’s just the kind of guy you want on a team trying to win the championship. Obviously, he’s gone very deep in the playoffs many times so we really like what he brings, but in terms of any decisions on contracts, none of those decisions have been made yet. We’re going to be sitting down with every player and ownership and Doc and make the right choice for the team.”
Hill averaged 6.0 points and he shot 39.1% from deep in the regular season for Philadelphia while providing solid defense, which is basically what the team expected out of him. However, he struggled in the second round against Atlanta, shooting 30.4% from the floor and 22.2% from deep.
Looking at the raw numbers, it appears Hill had a tough time, but Morey and the team did not see it that way. They liked what he brought to the floor on an every-night basis, but there could have been bigger moves Morey could have made at the deadline.
“We thought George Hill actually did play very well,” he said. “I think people are a little bit, focused on the offense, but defensively, he was very strong. We thought he added quite a bit. Obviously, it wasn’t enough so again in terms of my own self-reflection and the front office, are there opportunities where we could have done more and I think that the answer to that is yes. That’s on me.”
Now, that the Sixers are done playing, they have to decide what to do in the free-agent market. They have to make decisions on Hill, Danny Green and Furkan Korkmaz, while deciding what they can add to improve their championship hopes — preferably by adding to their bench.
“If there’s a veteran out there that makes sense to add we’re gonna add it,” said Morey. “We like what George Hill brings. We like what all our free agents bring. Danny and Furkan, obviously they’re gonna have choices just like we do, and we’ll see, but we also really love our young players who had some great moments in the playoffs and how they’re pushing our veterans as well.”
Free agency is a long way away: It starts Aug. 2, but it is never too early to begin discussing it.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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