The Philadelphia 76ers, to the surprise of some, are having a great start to the NBA season. They are atop the Eastern Conference with a record of 18-9, two games clear of the Milwaukee Bucks. Daryl Morey did an excellent job of reshaping the roster around the team’s two franchise building blocks; Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
Morey identified a problem and alleviated it. Last season, the 76ers went with the bizarre strategy of going bigger while the rest of the NBA went smaller. The sacrificed floor spacing in the process, bringing on Al Horford in a mismatched pairing in the frontcourt with Embiid. Jimmy Butler left and brought all of the 76ers’ toughness along with him.
Morey fixed both of those issues. He was able to move Horford to the Oklahoma City Thunder and acquired an elite floor spacer in Seth Curry, helping make up for the mistake of allowing JJ Redick to walk the last offseason as well.
The results have been great so far, but Morey knows better than to rest on his laurels. After getting so close to the NBA Finals during his time with the Houston Rockets, he doesn’t want to come up short again. So, he is looking to upgrade another weak spot; the point guard position.
According to Bleacher Report NBA Reporter Jason Dumas, the 76ers are in the market for a point guard. Two players they are targeting are George Hill of the Oklahoma City Thunder and Delon Wright of the Detroit Pistons.
In George Hill, Philadelphia would be getting an experienced playoff performer than can help their second unit with his floor spacing and defense.
Hill has played 127 playoff games, averaging 32 minutes per game. He would provide the team with more floor spacing, as he has knocked down 37 percent of his 3-point attempts in his playoff career. That is not far off from his regular-season performances, as he makes 38.4 percent there.
The interest in Delon Wright isn’t as clear cut. He isn’t a true point guard, like Hill, and isn’t as consistent of a 3-point shooter, making only 34.5 percent of his attempts in his career. Adding him to the mix along with Shake Milton and Tyrese Maxey off the bench seems like it would lead to more questions than answers.
If the 76ers were able to land Hill, their second unit would be instantly upgraded. He can play alongside anyone in the backcourt given his defensive ability. Also, Hill could even help close out games alongside Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid given his floor spacing ability.
Of the two players mentioned that Philadelphia is looking at, Hill would be the better fit.
