PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Neither new Sixers guard George Hill nor head coach Doc Rivers knows when he will make his debut with the team, but he sounded optimistic about his progress.
For the first time since the Sixers traded for Hill on March 25, he spoke to the media on Thursday.
"I will be back this season, for sure," Hill said. "I will be back before playoffs for sure."
Hill underwent right thumb surgery over two months ago when with the Oklahoma City Thunder. At the time, according The Oklahoman, it was deemed a mallet finger injury, which Rivers confirmed earlier this week, from personal experience, is a rather painful injury.
"The rare thing is it’s a mallet on the thumb rather than normally a finger," Hill said.
He says he is happy he isn't being rushed in his early days with the Sixers, but his progress has been tremendous since the cast was removed about a week and a half ago.
"We’ve shown a lot of progress in the last four, five days. I’ve been here with some of the movement and things like that, and looking forward to getting back out there soon as I can," he said.
The soon-to-be-35-year-old explained it’s not just about the thumb; it's about being in basketball shape as well.
"Once you shut your body down for three months or so, not just your finger, but you have to make sure the whole car is up to date — you know, with your Achilles, your ankles, your legs and things like that," he said.
Hill says, when he does return, he can offer leadership, playoff experience and shooting. It doesn’t matter whether he’s a starter or reserve, or how many minutes he plays. He talked about filling the void the Sixers had when they acquired him and being the missing piece to a championship.
Besides all this, Hill says, he is looking forward to playing in Philadelphia — the tradition, the energy and the fans.
"You want a city like that that cares," he said. "You want fans that care about their sport, care about their team and want to see their team win games."