Can you still 'Trust the Process'?
Josh takes a look at Philly's present and future
Sam Hinkie was the mastermind behind the original process. Tanking has been pivotal to team building for years. It was a way for teams to reset, to rebuild, to return to glory, but it was never done to the extreme that Hinkie orchestrated.
Hinkie took over as the 76ers’ team president in 2013, one off-season removed from the Andre Igoudala-led Sixers being eliminated from the playoffs in 2012. Igoudala was traded in the infamous Andrew Bynum trade, a failed investment that jumpstarted the process’ beginning.
Hinkie’s time at president was quick, but the remnants of his idea remains. A process that has been reused, reimagined, and revitalized by different front offices and franchises since. He was removed from his position “stepped down” in 2016, leaving the Sixers with the following assets:
Joel Embiid
2016 1st round pick (Ben Simmons)
Jerami Grant
Christian Wood
Richaun Holmes
Robert Covington
Dario Saric
Nerlens Noel
Jahlil Okafor
TJ McConnell
2016 Miami 1st round pick
2016 OKC 1st round pick
Kings future 1st round pick
Pick swap with the Kings
Multiple 2nd round picks
Credit: Getty Images
Hinkie’s removal and the appointment of “Big Collar” Bryan Colangelo didn’t signify the death of the process, however. Like I’ve said before, the process lives on through the reincarnations implemented by many other franchises around the league since Hinkie’s removal departure.
More importantly, it lives on through the personification of the process himself: Joel “The Process” Embiid.
And the Process has lived through many iterations and co-stars: Ben Simmons, Jimmy Buckets, James Harden.
Now, with Embiid flanked by Tyrese Maxey and Paul George, and on a team directed by Daryl Morey, whose focus on analytics help bring about a new era of basketball, the question remains:
Can (or should) we still trust the process?
Philly fans are cynical. Partly by nature. Partly because we’ve learned from experience. For years, we’ve known that Joel Embiid has been one of the best players in the league. Nearly unstoppable when he’s healthy, but his health has been declining sharply, even if his skills have remained. Even with his health, he has been the only constant piece of the process.
He was the centerpiece when Philly was banking their expectations on Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz. When Jimmy Butler reinvigorated Wells Fargo Center. When Tobias Harris, Al Horford, and Josh Richardson made Philly look like off-season winners. When Morey lured Harden to Philly, only for the relationship to turn sour.
Now, the process hinges on his health more than ever.
But Philly has, for the first time in years, a plethora of young talent around, led by Tyrese Maxey, the ‘Franchise’, leaving fans to wonder if it would be better to pivot away from Joel Embiid and Paul George.
They could start planning for a future built upon the foundation of Maxey, McCain, Grimes, Edgecombe, Edwards, and the assets they can accumulate from trading away the two aforementioned stars.
But Daryl Morey (and I) don’t agree. Like Morey said, if Philly is bringing home a championship, it’ll be on Embiid’s shoulders.
Maybe the picture isn’t clear as it once was, like when Markelle Fultz was the consensus number one pick and Ben Simmons was a rising All-NBA caliber player.
The team is flawed. There’s weaknesses within the starting line-up and on the bench. Embiid has played in just 58 over the last two seasons combined. Paul George looked like a shell of himself in his first season in the city of Brotherly Love.
But the belief remains, even if it is coated in pessimism. Like Morey said, you may have to squint a little, but this is still a championship caliber team.
And a lot of that belief stems from not only having one of the most skilled 7-footers of all-time on the squad, but also from the young, promising core mentioned earlier.
Tyrese Maxey is the ‘Franchise’ for a reason. He earned that nickname, just like he earned the Most Improved Player award. He’s been the flash of hope that pessimistic Philly fans have longed for for years.
His infectious smile and carefree playstyle has endeared him to Philadelphia and kept us glued to the screen, while also simultaneously holding together a team that has been on the brink of falling apart numerous times.
Quentin Grimes, who has developed into a legitimate self-creation threat, will feast off of the gravity of a healthy Embiid. As a Sixer, Grimes self-created 54% of his 2PAs and 31% of his 3PAs, up from previous career-highs of 44% and 11% respectively. That’s close to THREE times more unassisted 3PAs than before.
Jared McCain was the Rookie of the Year frontrunner until his injury. He recorded the 2nd-Most 20+ point games among rookies last season, despite playing just 23 games. He’s flashed the ability to create his own shots at all levels, while also being a knockdown catch-and-shoot threat that can make 3s on all platforms.
Justin Edwards went from a forgotten, undrafted prospect to a hometown hero who can play legitimate wing minutes.
And we haven’t even mentioned VJ Edgecombe. Pre-draft, most Sixer fans were bracing for the reality of losing the pick on lottery day. Instead, Philadelphia walked away with the third overall pick, who they used on VJ Edgecombe. Edgecombe, whose explosiveness is an element that Philly has yearned for for years, is coming off a SLC Summer League Debut that had fans across the league raising their eyebrows.
Grimes (25), Maxey (24), Bona (22), Broome (22), McCain (21), Edwards (21), and Edgecombe (19) are young, but they’re hungry.
The cynicism and pessimism of Philly has tried and tried to pull them down, but they don’t mind. In fact, the young Sixers feed off of it. They embrace it.
And that’s exactly why Philadelphia has embraced them back.
And, maybe just maybe, that’s exactly why even the most pessimistic Philly fan has some belief dwelling within them still.
The path to the NBA Finals is never easy, but the East is wide open.
Embiid is on track to be the healthiest he’s been in three years. Paul George is hungry to prove that last year was a fluke, not a step back. The young core gives Philadelphia a sense of stability and hope that has been missing since Embiid, Simmons, and Fultz first shared the court.
So the process didn’t go the way Philly fans hoped.
But, like I said earlier, it didn’t die when Hinkie was replaced. It didn’t die when Fultz lost his shot. It didn’t die when Butler, Simmons, or Harden left town.
You can see its remnants all over the court when Maxey flashes his big smile or when McCain knocks down a big 3. You’ll see it reinvigorated by Edgecombe’s highlight plays, or Quentin Grimes off-the-dribble mastery, or Edwards’ booming, slashing dunks.
It lives on, wearing the number ‘21’ and playing in the Wells Fargo Center. It plays through contorted faces and torn meniscuses. It leaves everything it has on the court, every time.
Maybe its knees aren’t what they once were. Maybe it can no longer play back to backs. Maybe it won’t qualify for MVP or accolades. Maybe it’s only got a season or two of peak play left, if that.
Or…maybe not.
After all, that’s exactly why we ‘Trust the Process’, right?