George Hill is Already Having an Impact on Sixers Rookie Tyrese Maxey

Veteran guard George Hill had yet to play a single minute for the Philadelphia 76ers heading into Monday's game. Ever since the Sixers traded with the Oklahoma City Thunder to land Hill, the 34-year-old has been ramping up his conditioning as his thumb heals from a surgical procedure, which he underwent months ago.

From the outside looking in, it seems Hill has contributed nothing to the 76ers at this point. Since the trade, the 76ers played in 12 games. None of which Hill played in. Sure, he hasn't much value on the court just yet, but Sixers rookie Tyrese Maxey made it known that Hill has been an important factor behind the scenes.

Following a Monday morning shootaround, Maxey met with reporters via Zoom. When asked about which veterans are helping him out behind the scenes, the 2020 first-round pick revealed the usual suspects.

"We have a pretty veteran team if you think about it from across the board," Maxey said. "You know, we have guys like Tobias (Harris), guys like Danny Green, who's won a championship, Dwight Howard, who has also won a championship. Recently, we added George Hill, who's a savvy guard that has really helped me out as of late, especially in certain little mini-games playing against him. It's been really great."

When the Sixers traded for Hill in March, the idea was to get a reliable backup ball-handler who is battle-tested in the playoffs. In the process, the Sixers seemed to have gained another mentor for the young rookies and an overall leader.

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

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