Former Sixers’ Two-Way Guard Grant Riller Ready for a Return
The Philadelphia 76ers entered the 2021-2022 NBA season with former Charlotte Hornets draft pick Grant Riller on their roster.
Following his rookie season with the Hornets and their G League affiliate, the Greensboro Swarm, Riller hit the free agency market as the former 56th overall pick didn’t have a long-term commitment from the organization that brought him on originally.
Riller landed another chance in the NBA with the Sixers as he garnered a two-day deal. Unfortunately, Riller’s run with the Sixers was loaded up with physical setbacks.
During Philadelphia’s first preseason game, Riller left the matchup with a knee injury in the second half. As it turned out, Riller suffered a torn meniscus. The second-year guard decided to undergo surgery to repair to his knee tear, which kept him off the floor for a while.
When Riller was finally cleared to return to action, he debuted with the Sixers’ G League affiliate, the Delaware Blue Coats. Riller appeared in just four games for the Blue Coats. During that small stretch, he averaged five points while shooting 40-percent from the field in 11 minutes per game.
Before he even had a chance to hit his stride in Delaware, Riller suffered a shoulder injury, which took him off the floor again. Eventually, Riller and the Sixers decided to part ways as the young guard underwent another surgery to repair his shoulder.
Riller missed the remainder of the 2021-2022 season as he worked on recovering. At this point in the offseason, Riller is fully recovered and is expected to work out for teams ahead of the 2022-2023 season, according to HoopsRumors’ JD Shaw.
Considering the Sixers found decent replacements in Myles Powell and Charlie Brown Jr following Riller’s departure, it’s unclear if Philadelphia would give the former second-rounder another shot. Either way, Riller is working on getting back to the NBA one way or another.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
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