Philadelphia 76ers fans have been praising Sam Hinkie for years, while the current GM is not as beloved. Does Bryan Colangelo deserve a lot of credit for the construction of the team, or did Hinkie do the work for him?
“Hinkie died for our sins.” This line has become a humorous yet honest truth for his supporters over the years. By leading the effort to strip a team down to role players and D-League players, he destroyed his present team in order to build the foundation for the future. Although his tenure did not last, the Philadelphia 76ers are still benefiting from his efforts.
When Colangelo became GM, he was gifted with a terrible (yet promising) team, consisting of Embiid, Noel, Okafor, and a boatload of draft picks. Even with Simmons falling into his lap and the arrival of Saric, none of this could be credited to Colangelo due to the efforts Hinkie made to acquire Saric and obtain the #1 pick.
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While Colangelo made only a few important moves in his current tenure, they have been vital in the development of the team. When trading for Ilyasova, the Sixers acquire a stretch four to play alongside Embiid which spaced the floor and allowed him to operate. Developing Embiid was a crucial goal for this year, and placing a shooter like Ilyasova next to him while also providing veteran leadership in the locker room meant he was a perfect addition. Ilyasova also acted as a mentor to Saric as he became accustomed to not just the NBA, but America in general. Saric struggled early in the year, but his gradual improvement led to Ilyasova being traded, giving Saric the confidence and experience to move into the starting lineup. Ilyasova was vital in Saric developing the way he did.
Later in the season, the Nerlens Noel trade took place. While Noel seemed like a better option to keep over Okafor, trading him was a necessary action for long term success. His upcoming contract will likely pocket him close to $20 million a year, which the Sixers are in no situation to match. If Noel was currently on the Philadelphia 76ers roster, his value would be below Simmons, Fultz, and Embiid, and most likely Saric. Giving a max contract to your fourth or fifth best player would never work, so it made sense to trade him.
However, it’s hard to believe the Mavs offer was the top one Colangelo received. For a player under 25 with the potential to be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate a few years from now, he should have carried more value than Justin Anderson and second round picks. It seemed like accepting that offer showed Colangelo’s eagerness to get this problem off his hands.
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By far the biggest move made so far was the trade for Fultz. While picking third is never a bad thing, all prospects in that draft range had at least a few questions involving their fit with the Sixers. Fultz and Lonzo would be off the board by three, and that would have been too early to select Monk. Trading for Fultz gave the Sixers the best player and best fit.
Colangelo did an extremely good job with the picks sent to the Celtics, guaranteeing no #1 draft pick would be acquired by Boston due to the pick protections. Trading one of their most valuable draft assets may hurt a little, however it strikes the transition from building a core to finally having a set team ready to develop. No longer relying on future draft picks is a change all fans will embrace readily.
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Hinkie set the foundation for the rebuild and Colangelo has done necessary actions to improve the team and shape the roster. While he may not be as beloved, Colangelo placed the Philadelphia 76ers in position to be a future powerhouse in the eastern conference. So even though fans make t-shirts for Hinkie and campaign for him in office in 2020, do not forget to give some credit to the current general manager too.