George Hill Could Finally Make Sixers Debut vs. Warriors on Monday

When the Philadelphia 76ers made just one trade on the day of the 2021 trade deadline, they landed two prospects in Ignas Brazdeikis and George Hill. Considering the Sixers were on the hunt for another veteran ball-handler before their eventual playoff run, Hill was the key acquisition in the trade.

Hill has several tools to help the Sixers out, but he didn't come to Philly without any red flags. This season, George Hill suffered a notable thumb injury earlier in the year while playing point guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

After getting a diagnosis, Hill elected to undergo surgery to avoid further issues in the future. While Hill's surgery was a success, and he's finally out of a cast, the veteran guard has yet to be cleared for contact.

Hill has been sitting back and learning the Sixers' system for the last few weeks by just observing. In addition, he's also been getting shots up during pregame shootarounds and rare practice sessions. As of Friday night, Sixers head coach Doc Rivers mentioned that Hill was getting some very limited scrimmaging in but wasn't quite allowed to practice in full with the rest of the team just yet.

However, Rivers did remain hopeful that Hill's return could come sometime this week. "I would say sometime next week would be optimistic, I guess," Rivers stated this past Friday. "But I'm optimistic, so I'm going to go with that."

Could Hill's return come on Monday? It's possible. According to the Sixers' injury report on Sunday night, Hill was upgraded to questionable. Since joining the 76ers back in March, Hill has been listed as out for 12-straight games. 

Monday's matchup against the Golden State Warriors marks the first time Hill has even a slight chance of taking the court for his Sixers debut. If it happens, his playing time will more than likely be limited. Regardless, any amount of minutes for Hill is a good sign considering the playoffs are quickly approaching. 

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_ & Instagram: @JGrassoNBA.