Processing the Process (Conclusion)

In Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of my review of the “The Process,” I have covered the Philadelphia 76ers’ rebuilding process beginning with their multi-season tank job and leading up to their return to the playoffs in the 2017-18 season. Last season brought the culmination of the Process, as the Sixers went all-in with two major trades that cashed in most of their draft assets acquired during the Process. In this final part of my analysis, then, I will review the Sixers’ moves in the 2018 offseason and during the 2018-19 season, followed by a brief overview of the Process on the whole.

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Processing the Process, Part 3

The 2016-17 season represented a major inflection point in “The Process,” the Philadelphia 76ers multi-season tank job engineered by Sam Hinkie and widely praised and criticized by nearly everyone with any stake in the league. The beginning of the 2016-17 season saw the Sixers enter with a young core of nine players all drafted or signed under the Hinkie regime. For reference, here is those players’ performance across the subsequent seasons:

Name	2016-17	2017-18	2018-19
Nerlens Noel	3.7 Wins, 73% Eff., 1047 MP	0.8 Wins, 55% Eff., 472 MP	4.0 Wins, 56% Eff., 1056 MP
Joel Embiid	3.8 Wins, 55% Eff., 786 MP	8.1 Wins, 54% Eff., 1912 MP	10.6 Wins, 50% Eff., 2154 MP
Dario Saric	3.9 Wins, 46% Eff., 2129 MP	4.7 Wins, 50% Eff., 2310 MP	3.1 Wins, 47% Eff., 2022 MP
Jahlil Okafor	2.2 Wins, 45% Eff., 1134 MP	0.6 Wins, 46% Eff., 353 MP	1.8 Wins, 48% Eff., 935 MP
Ben Simmons		7.3 Wins, 54% Eff., 2732 MP	6. Wins, 53% Eff., 2700 MP
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot	1.6 Wins, 45% Eff., 1190 MP	1.1 Wins, 40% Eff., 806 MP	0.6 Wins, 52% Eff., 669 MP
Furkan Korkmaz		0.1 Wins, 36% Eff., 80 MP	1.3 Wins, 47% Eff., 679 MP
Jerami Grant	2.6 Wins, 45% Eff., 1531 MP	3.7 Wins, 51% Eff., 1647 MP	4.8 Wins, 48% Eff., 2612 MP
Richaun Holmes	2.7 Wins, 54% Eff., 1193 MP	1.8 Wins, 52% Eff., 746 MP	1.8 Wins, 49% Eff., 1184 MP
Robert Covington	4.9 Wins, 52% Eff., 2119 MP	5.6 Wins, 47% Eff., 2532 MP	2.4 Wins, 51% Eff., 1203 MP
T.J. McConnell	3.4 Wins, 56% Eff., 2133 MP	2.9 Wins, 49% Eff., 1706 MP	2.7 Wins, 50% Eff., 1470 MP

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Processing the Process, Part 2

Last time, we reviewed the beginning stages of the Process. The dominant factor in that time frame was the Jrue Holiday trade, which led to the Sixers acquiring Nerlens Noel and Elfrid Payton (who was traded for Dario Saric, who was part of the trade for Jimmy Butler). We left off after the 2014 draft, so Part 2 of our analysis begins in 2014.

The 2014-15 season was another tank job by the Sixers. Shortly before the season began, they traded Thaddeus Young for a first round pick, Luc Mbah a Moute, and Alexey Shved in the four-team Kevin Love trade. Though the motive was clearly to make cap space, the Sixers ultimately did not attempt to sign premiere free agents in the time frame of Young’s next contract. As such, it is not completely certain that they needed to get rid of Young. He was responsible for 22.8 wins in the four seasons stretching from 2015-16 through last year, at about league average efficiency each year. Thus, it seems clear that the Sixers left about 5-6 wins per year on the table by getting rid of Thad Young.

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Processing the Process, Part 1

With the definite turn from building to contending marked by this season’s blockbuster trades for Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, the Sixers have reached the point at which we can profitably and fairly evaluate “The Process,” which began with the hiring of Sam Hinkie in 2013. With Philly having now spent most the draft capital acquired during the Process, it is legitimate to ask how well the tank job worked.

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