2.) Philadelphia 76ers
The infamous brainchild of Sam Hinkie, also known as “The Process” is finally starting to show some results for the 76ers. Back in 2013, the 76ers decided they were done with mediocrity.
They drafted Michael Carter Williams from Syracuse and traded All-Star point guard, Jrue Holiday for Nerlens Noel. Thus, The Process was born. The idea is simple: obtain as many draft picks as possible. They flipped veterans for picks, promising rookies for picks, a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan for picks… you get the point (I’m kidding about that last thing, just to be clear). Noel missed his rookie season due to injury while MCW went on to win rookie of the year. The Sixers then went on and dumped MCW in return for a chance at the Lakers pick in 2018.
Next up, third overall in 2014 was Joel Embiid from Kansas. The Twitter legend had touched a basketball for the first time just 3 years before in 2011 in his home country of Cameroon. They also performed a Draft and Stash when they chose Dario Saric the same year. Embiid proceeded not to touch the court in his first two years due to injury and The Process felt like it was dead.
Come 2015, and the Sixers land another third overall pick and take bar fight legend Jahlil Okafor. Okafor had a nice rookie season, but the Sixers failed to win even 10 games. They lost themselves right into the first pick in 2016, Ben Simmons.
Compared to LeBron James in his pre-draft workouts, Simmons was an athletic finisher and elite playmaker. Simmons kept the trend going by missing his rookie season due to injury. Sam Hinkie was vilified by the people of Philadelphia, but on the upside, Embiid and Saric were set to make their first appearances. Embiid played only 31 games, but he and Saric were number two and three in rookie of the year voting. The Sixers gave up on Noel that season too, sending him to Dallas.
In the 2017 draft, the Sixers traded their third overall pick to the Celtics for Brooklyn’s first overall pick, where Philadelphia selected Markelle Fultz, who was considered the best player in college basketball. Fultz played the first six game of his rookie year before he was sidelined due to injury and to keep the tradition alive. Fultz came back the end of the regular season and played into the playoffs as well. This season, Okafor was rotting away on the bench, as his inability to stretch the floor and lackluster defense made him unplayable. He now spends his days rotting away on the Nets bench.
We finally made it, The Process is wrapping up. Embiid has become a stretch big and defensive beast. Simmons plays to his strengths by avoiding shooting threes, driving in the paint, and passing out to open shooters. Fultz has had a rough season, but has plenty of time to become something. Saric is the ideal modern stretch big as well. This young core has a very bright future ahead of them if they are able to stay away from injuries.