We know the story by now: Sam Hinkie is known for his unconventional approach to team building, which he called “The Process,” focusing on analytics to build out a team’s strengths. Hinkie believed that the best way to build a championship team was to lose as much as possible, on purpose, to horde draft picks. Hinkie’s approach was controversial, and he was criticized for his willingness to sacrifice wins in the present for the sake of the future. It’s obvious now that “The Process” failed, as Hinkie’s prized pick, Joel Embiid, seems prime to be the last domino to fall out of town. The path to poverty began in 2013 when he traded two-way star Jrue Holiday to the New Orleans Pelicans for Nerlens Noel. Noel joined a trio of centers in Embiid and former big man bum Jahlil Okafor to battle for center supremacy. Noel and Okafor are both out of the league. As are many of Hinkie’s Process picks, including Michael-Carter Williams. Not to mention Simmons, who failed as Embiid’s No. 2 and has had a bizarre last couple of years as he battled physical, mental, and emotional issues. It’s fitting that HInkie’s main acolyte, Morey, is at the helm of the 76ers heading towards an inevitable divorce with Embiid, ending the failed “Process.”
