According to Darrun Hilliard, his son, Darrun Hilliard II, will receive a pre-draft workout opportunity from the Sixers. The senior Hilliard broke the news as a facebook comment in response to an article posted by VUHoops.com, which stated that Hilliard would workout for the Suns.
As you can see below, Hilliard simply writes “Philly next week”. This of course could mean perhaps that they are simply returning next week, but all signs point to that it is to workout for the Sixers, considering the context.
Many Sixers fans may be familiar with Hilliard because perhaps maybe you could not help but notice that Villanova went 33-3, while the Sixers won about half that many games in their 82-game schedule. He emerged as Villanova’s front man on a talented team, capturing the Big 5 Player of the Year award by averaging 14.3 points per game in 2014-15.
Although he is not predicted to be drafted by any major publication or prognosticator, SI’s Luke Winn recently gave a strong endorsement to Hilliard as why he should be drafted as a late-second rounder:
My deeper sleeper is a 3-and-D candidate. Deep as in, someone who doesn't even appear in the first or second round of major mock drafts. My mystery man is Villanova's Darrun Hilliard, a 6'6" wing who shot 39.9% from long range over the past two seasons. He can make plays off the bounce without committing turnovers and he's an athletic, smart perimeter defender who can guard point guards and wings.
Hilliard earned some All-America votes during Villanova's 33-3 run this season, so he isn't anonymous, but his true impact on the Wildcats' back-to-back Big East title teams has been under-acknowledged. In '13-14, according to HoopLens.com's plus-minus data, the Wildcats had an efficiency margin of +0.201 points per possession when Hilliard was on the floor—the highest margin of anyone in their rotation. And in '14-15, Villanova was an amazing +0.273 PPP with Hilliard on the floor—again the highest margin of anyone in its rotation. He had massive, positive impact on 'Nova's offense and D, and was quietly one of the nation's most valuable players. He's worth a late-second-round pick.
The Sixers currently have five second rounders, sitting at 35, 37, 47, 58 and 60 overall. The 58th and 60th overall picks are the third-last and last picks of the draft, respectively, so perhaps Hilliard could make himself a candidate for those selections with an impressive showing in his workout. The Sixers, by all indications, seem to value both defense and three-point shooting so Hilliard could be a dark-horse.
