The Evolution of the 76ers: From “The Process” to Title Contention
Spencer Young spencer-young.medium.com
Back in 2012, the Philadelphia 76ers were the 8th seed in the East, led by a roster that included Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams, and Jrue Holiday. They defeated the injured Chicago Bulls in a 1 vs. 8…
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Back in 2012, the Philadelphia 76ers were the 8th seed in the East, led by a roster that included Andre Iguodala, Lou Williams, and Jrue Holiday. They defeated the injured Chicago Bulls in a 1 vs. 8 matchup in the playoffs.

After a failed blockbuster trade involving the Sixers and two other teams in which the Sixers received Andrew Bynum, the team faltered to a 34–48 record in the following season. Jrue Holiday became a first time All-Star during this season, although after the season, it was clear that it was time to rebuild in Philadelphia.

The man the Sixers hired to rebuild the team was Sam Hinkie, a disciple of Darryl Morey of the Houston Rockets. With Hinkie in charge, the goal was clear: do whatever it takes to win a championship. His plan was to obtain a top-level superstar talent, because, as he explained, the best championship teams were all built around top-level talents.

On August 14, 2013, Hinkie hired Brett Brown to become Head Coach of the Sixers. Brown was hired away from the Spurs to lead the new Sixers, with player development being a point of emphasis from Hinkie.

During the NBA Draft, Hinkie would make his first move, starting the now infamous “Process.”

The Process:

Hinkie’s first move as General Manager was to trade away his lone All-Star, Jrue Holiday, to the Pelicans in exchange for Nerlens Noel and a 1st Round Pick in 2014. Noel was a highly touted prospect, though his stock lowered slightly after an injury he suffered during his collegiate career.

During the 2013 Draft, Hinkie selected Michael Carter-Williams, an athletic guard out of Syracuse. At the deadline, Hinkie continued to worsen the talent on the roster, obtaining six 2nd Round Picks in exchange for three veteran players. With a terrible roster around him, Carter-Williams put up tremendous numbers en route to becoming the 2014 Rookie of the Year.

In the following draft, Hinkie drafted Joel Embiid and obtained Dario Šarić in a trade that netted them a future 1st Round Pick and a future 2nd Round Pick. Neither Embiid nor Šarić would play in the 2014–2015 Season, with Embiid’s well documented foot injury keeping him out, and Šarić was a “Euro Stash” player, meaning he would not arrive in the NBA for another two seasons.

The team continued to rack up losses while acquiring more and more assets. The moniker “Trust the Process” became popular at this time. Hinkie ignored his critics by refusing to sign veteran players that would help them win more games. Instead, he searched for un-drafted prospects, signing Robert Covington and T.J. McConnell, both of whom would eventually become fan favorites. At the deadline, Hinkie received flack for trading away Michael Carter-Williams, the reigning Rookie of the Year, for more future picks.

In the 2015 Draft, they ended up with the 3rd Overall Pick, which they used to select Jahlil Okafor. In the 2015-2016 season, Okafor shined while Embiid was sidelined. After having two surgeries on the same foot, many questioned if Embiid would turn out to be a bust due to injury.

On December 8, Jerry Colangelo was hired by the team, in a move supported by the league. He was seen as someone who would help the Sixers transition from tanking to winning by the league and others around it. Colangelo was not working in conjunction with Hinkie, as he was trying to hire new staff behind Hinkie’s back.

The team ended with an anemic 10–72 record, and on April 6, 2016, Sam Hinkie resigned from his position. With his resignation, the “Father of the Process” was now gone. His impact was still felt, however, as he had a stash of future picks that had not yet been used.

With the 1st Pick in 2016, they drafted Ben Simmons. Hinkie left behind Embiid, Simmons, Šarić, Covington, McConnell, and four future 1st Round Picks, in addition to multiple 2nd Round Picks.

The very next day after Hinkie’s departure, Jerry Colangelo hired his son, Bryan, to be Hinkie’s replacement, marking the start of a new era for the 76ers.

The Bryan Colangelo Era:

Heading into the 2016–2017 Season, Embiid and Šarić were set to both make their NBA debuts, while Simmons was set to miss the entire season due to his own foot injury. Embiid, who at this time nicknamed himself “The Process” in support of Hinkie, dazzled at the beginning of the season, putting up 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and an incredible 2.5 blocks per game in 25 minutes per contest. His per-minute averages were astonishing, and he was putting up unprecedented stat lines for the low number of minutes he was playing. Unfortunately, his season was done after just 31 games due to an injury to his knee.

At the deadline, Nerlens Noel was finally traded, something that was expected due to Embiid taking his starting role. Colangelo did not receive much for Noel, netting only Justin Anderson and two 2nd Round Picks. The other Sixers center, Jahlil Okafor, was also expecting to be traded, although the team kept him. Meanwhile, Šarić was performing well, showcasing his skillset as the team’s best offensive player in Embiid’s absence and almost winning Rookie of the Year.

In the offseason, they landed the 3rd pick in the Draft, and immediately traded up with Boston to receive the 1st Overall Pick. With this pick, they drafted Washington guard Markelle Fultz, who dazzled in college with his shot making abilities.

Although the Sixers were a decent team at the beginning of the season, led by Simmons and Embiid, the headlines were dominated by Markelle Fultz. Fultz’s shot form had deteriorated in the NBA, with many wondering what had happened to him.

At the deadline, the team maneuvered to trade the now estranged Okafor, although they only received Trevor Booker, who did not finish the season with the team.

While Embiid was sidelined, this time with a facial injury, Ben Simmons led the Sixers on a 16 game winning streak, which led them to finish with 52 wins, outpacing almost all projections from before the season. Simmons was the most dominant rookie from start to finish, averaging 15.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 8.2 assists en route to winning Rookie of the Year in a loaded draft class.

In the playoffs, they defeated the Miami Heat in 5 games, with Simmons dominating with his size and athleticism. Fultz played limited minutes and was not part of the regular rotation. But in the second round, they struggled against the Celtics, with Brad Stevens game-planning to stop Simmons and Embiid. Simmons’s total lack of a jumpshot proved to be an issue during the series, a 5 game loss for the Sixers.

Over the offseason, just when the Sixers were supposed to be preparing for the Draft, Colangelo’s reputation took a massive hit. The Ringer released an article exposing some tweets that were allegedly made by Colangelo under fake Twitter accounts. The tweets were controversial mainly because Colangelo used the tweets to criticize players on the team and leak sensitive information. Colangelo was recceived flack from the media for wanting the Sixers’s success to be credited to him, not Hinkie. Ultimately, Colangelo released a statement claiming his wife was behind the tweets, leading to more criticism, and on June 7, 2018, Colangelo resigned.

Colangelo’s tenure with the team was marked with disappointment, with several missed opportunities. The Markelle Fultz saga loomed over the team, with nobody knowing why he so suddenly lost his shot form. While Colangelo will ultimately be known for his Twitter fiasco, his biggest missteps as GM were the poor trade decisions he made, trading 2 former top-6 picks for almost no value in return.

The Transition Phase:

Without a General Manager, the Sixers decided to let Coach Brett Brown run the draft night decisions of the team. He first selected Mikal Bridges, before trading him for Zhaire Smith and an unprotected future 1st Round Pick from the Heat. He also drafted Landry Shamet, a sharpshooter out of Wichita State.

The Sixers came into the season with expectations to improve on the previous season’s success. The team was decent at the beginning of the season, with Embiid looking like an early MVP candidate. However, the lack of improvement in Fultz’s game was still a cause for concern.

Brown was relieved of his General Manager duties early in the season, when the Sixers finished their search for a new, full-time GM.

The Elton Brand Era:

Elton Brand was named the new GM of the Sixers on September 20, 2018, after previously working as the GM of the Delaware Blue Coats, the team’s G-League affiliate.

Brand was quick to make moves, acquiring star Jimmy Butler in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He sent away two original members of Hinkie’s Process in Dario Šarić and Robert Covington, both of whom had developed into terrific role players.

During the season, Fultz was again struggling with injury, eventually sitting out due to what was later diagnosed as Thoracic Outlet Syndrome (TOS). Brand eventually traded him at the deadline, receiving Johnathan Simmons, a protected 1st, and 2nd in the upcoming draft.

Brand was actively trying to improve the roster, and he made another deal at the deadline. He traded for the L.A. Clippers’s Tobias Harris, a power forward having a career season, along with Mike Scott and Boban Marjonavić. The Clippers received Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala, Landry Shamet, Philadelphia’s own protected 2020 first-round pick, the Miami Heat’s unprotected 2021 first-round pick and the Detroit Pistons’ 2021 and 2023 second-round picks. Brand used up most of his team’s remaining future assets to cash in for another star, signaling a win-now attitude in Philly.

The clear shift in focus by the Sixers was Brand’s goal. He justified going all-in by claiming that championship windows can close just as quickly as they open. He even cited his own career, describing how he went from a star to a role player in one season due to injury, which drastically changed the outcome of his career.

The Sixers finished 51–31, the third seed in the Eastern Conference. They were seen as a serious threat in the playoffs, although they had a serious lack of depth on the roster.

In the first round, they defeated the Brooklyn Nets in five games in an at times competitive series. Embiid struggled with knee tendinitis, once again needing to play limited minutes. Embiid’s knee problems in Round One signaled that the Sixers were going to have to play through their star player being limited physically. Simmons, Butler, Harris, Redick, and the injured Embiid all shined at various points in the series, and the Sixers capped off the series by dominating the Nets from start to finish in Game 5.

In the second round, they faced off against the Toronto Raptors, led by Kawhi Leonard. They took a 2–1 series lead behind the dominant play of Butler in Game 2 and the transcendent play of Embiid in Game 3. The next game however, Embiid would struggle with illness, looking much more fatigued and drained in Game 4. Despite Butler’s 29 points, Philly lost a tight Game 4, and then proceeded to get blown out in Game 5. Down 3–2, the Sixers forced a Game 7 on their home court behind 21 points from Ben Simmons, who had been struggling, and 25 points from Butler. Game 7 was a tight game, with both sides struggling mightily to create offense. The game came down to one shot, and Kawhi Leonard’s heave from the corner bounced in, eliminating the Sixers and ending their season.

In the offseason, many fans preferred to see Butler return, while letting Harris walk due to the Butler being by far the team’s best player in the playoffs, while Harris struggled at times, especially against the Raptors.

In the draft, they selected Matisse Thybulle and Marial Shayok with the 20th and 54th picks. Thybulle was targeted by the Sixers for his transcendent defense in college, breaking many records in the process.

On the first day of free agency, the Sixers decided to re-sign Tobias Harris, not Butler. Butler wanted to join the Heat, and the two teams facilitated a sign and trade, netting the Sixers Josh Richardson. The Sixers also signed longtime rival Al Horford away from the Celtics, resigned Mike Scott and James Ennis, and signed center Kyle O’ Quinn.

Fan favorite T.J. McConnell left the team after four seasons, making Embiid the only remaining player from Hinkie’s tenure (though Hinkie did earn the pick that was used to draft Simmons before resigning).