After a disappointing season for them that ended without a title, Maccabi Tel Aviv did some thinking last summer, and proceeded to dismantle and reassemble.
Along with the signing of a new coach in the form of Oded Ketch, all the foreigners without exception left, and a battery of new and shiny foreigners landed in Eliyahu's hand.
In recent years, the club has gone for experienced foreigners alongside relatively young and lesser-known players in the back line, but also those who may make the jump in the future such as Chris Jones and Keenan Evans.
This summer, the Yellows decided to change direction and go with the familiar and known, and landed the experienced Lorenzo Brown, Wade Baldwin and Darren Hilliard in the guard positions.
If at the beginning the Yellows were afraid of the inclusion in the Euroleague of Jarl Martin and Bonzie Colson who had never played in the continent's top factory, the inclusion of Hilliard at first seemed like a glove for the Tel Avivians and as someone who could easily find himself in the Menorah Mivathim Hall even before the arrival of Ketch.
Hilliard.
Does not connect, photo: Audi Citiat
When the roster assembly procedure was completed, Hilliard became the only pure scorer on the team, and as such he was expected to take over the 2-3 positions and provide the numbers and abilities he showed steadily throughout his career.
The 29-year-old guard was destined to step into the big shoes left behind by Scotty Wilvkin upon his departure, and brought with him receipts and proven experience as the most experienced foreigner on the team's roster with 124 appearances in the Euroleague, more than any other foreign player.
However, from the first moment the connection did not succeed naturally.
The one who accustomed the basketball fans in the old continent to a deadly handle and dizzying point-making abilities in the Spanish Basque Country, the Russian CSKA Moscow and the German Bayern Munich, found it difficult to integrate into Ketch's method in the Holy Land and the damage to his status, his confidence and his productivity was immediately felt.
Hilliard, who has career averages of 9.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.3 rebounds, is recording the lowest numbers in his career in Europe this season, and is content with 4.8 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. The ball in the hands of Brown and Baldwin, forcing Hilliard to be satisfied with excesses and wait for the balls to come to him as a result of the moves, and not to conduct attacks himself because he did in the past.
Any scorer will testify that confidence is the most important thing and this year the lack of minutes seriously harms the confidence of Hilliard who plays 12.4 minutes per game, the lowest figure for him in his career, and throws only 2.6 three shots on average per game (which he hits at a high percentage, 43.8%), also the lowest figure in a career.
For comparison, last season in Munich he threw an average of 6.1 three-pointers per game.
Hilliard in front of the Red Star, photo: EPA
There are extenuating circumstances
There are extenuating circumstances for the situation, Hillard suffered a significant injury last season that disabled him from activity for an extended period.
In December about a year ago, he injured his knee and was absent for four months.
After he returned to the courts he was injured again and ended the season and at the end he underwent surgery due to a crack in the clavicle, but Maccabi knew this even before he signed.
A knee injury in the opening round of the season against Aroni Nes Ziona that sidelined him for another month didn't help either.
When Ketch was asked at the end of the loss to Hapoel Jerusalem earlier this week about the professional ability of Hilliard, who scored a point in 12 minutes on the floor, he added.
"We know the things that Darren knows how to do professionally, it is clear to both us and him that he is much better than the ability he has shown so far and the responsibility is everyone's. There are mitigating circumstances, he suffered a serious injury last season and was injured again at the beginning of the season, it is very difficult to get into the rhythm of a team He was already running. We were hoping that one good game like he had against Partizan Belgrade would get him into things, but unfortunately it didn't happen. Maybe it's also a matter of security."
Disappointed on the Maccabi bench against Jerusalem, photo: Oded Karni
Hilliard, who was not interviewed throughout the period, shared his feelings on social media in a series of tweets that the club did not like to read.
"Sorkin is a fighter and he also has a great soul, he should be appreciated much more before it's too late," he wrote a few weeks ago, referring to the Israeli center's contract that expires in the summer, and deleted.
After the loss to Yerushalayim, he tweeted: "Real eyes detect real lies", in what was interpreted by many in the club and outside as implicit criticism of his coach and caused his suspension.
If the romance between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Darren Hilliard ends at such an early stage of the season, his time in Tel Aviv will be remembered as an enigma, a missing case.
Will he be able to restore the ruins and come back and present the famous skills that brought him to Tel Aviv?
Time will tell.
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