In the summer of 2013, the Philadelphia 76ers hired former Houston Rockets executive vice president Sam Hinkie to lead their basketball operations. Hinkie was Daryl Morey's No. 2 in Houston. Unsurprisingly, he brought an analytics-forward approach to the Philadelphia GM job.
Hinkie's approach was radical and controversial. He immediately initiated the most talked-about rebuild in modern sports history, cycling through lottery picks and no-name players as Philadelphia flirted with all-time loss records. He was not allowed to see his ambitious plans — dubbed "The Process" — through to completion, however.
Hinkie resigned in April 2016, roughly three years after he was hired, when the league stepped in and strong-armed the Sixers into hiring longtime basketball exec Jerry Colangelo to speed up their timeline. While "The Process" itself was short-lived, the "Trust the Process" mantra and the ripple effects of Hinkie's tenure spread far and wide.
20. Jrue Holiday
Jrue Holiday was not around for "The Process." Instead, his departure was the starting gun for Sam Hinkie's revolutionary rebuild. In 2013, Holiday became the youngest All-Star in franchise history at 22 years old. That following summer, Hinkie was hired — and he shipped Holiday to New Orleans in exchange for Nerlens Noel (the No. 6 overall pick) and a 2014 first-round pick, which became Dario Šarić.
The trade was a real gut punch to many Sixers fans, who felt Holiday was on a steep and rapid ascent. While Holiday has since won a championship and carved out a brilliant career for himself, the trade is viewed more favorably in hindsight. Even if Noel did not pan out, the Sixers' teardown delivered Joel Embiid and many other opportunities. Did Philadelphia squander an alarming volume of said opportunities, especially after firing Hinkie? Absolutely. But the process behind the move was sound.
19. Elton Brand
Elton Brand spent four years with the Sixers from 2008-12, then returned in 2015-16 for the final season of his career. He appeared in 17 games that season, well past his prime and with little to offer on the court. Where Philadelphia found more value was off the court. Brand joined the front office as a player development consultant the next year — their first season post-Hinkie. He was their D League GM by August 2017. In September 2018, after Bryan Colangelo's Twitter scandal, Brand was named Sixers GM.
Brand was Sixers GM through 2025-26, although Philadelphia hired Daryl Morey (Hinkie's former boss and mentor) above him in 2020. Brand was responsible for the Jimmy Butler trade, then for letting Butler walk in favor of Al Horford and Tobias Harris. Brand moved to a different role in the organization in the summer of 2026, after Morey was fired and Mike Gansey took over. Philadelphia's first major additions after Brand's exit from the GM role: Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. So, you can chart the path from Sam Hinkie to LeBron James with a single player-turned-exec.
18. Luc Mbah a Moute
Luc Mbah a Moute spent the 2014-15 season in Philadelphia, where he put up a career-high 9.9 points in 28.6 minutes per game as the everyday starter at power forward. Mbah a Moute was one of the rare seasoned vets — an actual NBA player — to leave his imprint on "The Process" years. Far more important, however, was the role Mbah a Moute played in Joel Embiid's rise.
Embiid was discovered at Mbah a Moute's youth basketball camp in Cameroon at the age of 17. Then a volleyball player with scant basketball experience, Embiid had physical gifts that were enough to capture the attention and imagination of Mbah a Moute and those in attendance. The rest is history. Mbah a Moute was Cameroon's only NBA player at the time. He was a mentor to Embiid, so it was only natural that they would spend Embiid's first professional season together — even if Embiid was injured and thus unable to play.
17. K.J. McDaniels
A 2014 second-round pick, K.J. McDaniels had a brief but memorable time in Philadelphia. He appeared in 52 games (15 starts) as a rookie, averaging what would've been a career-high 9.2 points and 3.8 rebounds in 25.4 minutes. McDaniels was never very efficient or impactful, but he could dunk the basketball. And he did so frequently. He was a power athlete in the extreme, with the faint impression of upside — which Hinkie later capitalized on with a midseason trade to acquire Isaiah Canaan.
McDaniels simply would not play that much on any other team. He received an immediate runway to showcase his skill set (and his highlight reel). Of all the fleeting members of the Process-era Sixers, few could entertain quite so spectacularly. McDaniels' Sixers tenure was like a comet in the night sky, a moment of light in a sea of darkness.
16. Christian Wood
Christian Wood was a projected first-round pick in 2015, but he fell off the board completely after character and work ethic concerns tanked his stock. The Sixers swooped in to sign him as an undrafted free agent. He only spent one year in Philadelphia, averaging 3.6 points in 8.5 minutes across 17 games. But Wood was one of Sam Hinkie's last margin moves before the Colangelo takeover and his subsequent resignation.
Wood's Sixers career never really got off the ground, as he spent much of his rookie year on assignment in the D League. He was waived in January, then re-signed on a 10-day contract in late March. On April 7 — one day after Hinkie's departure — he signed for the rest of the season. Wood's career would later flourish, including a productive two-year stint with the Rockets, in which he averaged 19.1 points and 9.9 rebounds. Clearly, Hinkie saw something in Wood, and he was later proven correct.
15. Isaiah Canaan
Isaiah Canaan spent 1.5 seasons with Philadelphia from 2015 through 2016, starting in 51 of 99 appearances and averaging a career-high 11.4 points on 36.4 percent shooting (yes, 36.4 percent shooting). Canaan was undersized but big-hearted, with the supreme confidence of an end-of-bench flamethrower tossed into a preposterously important role on the NBA's worst team. In 2016, he surpassed Allen Iverson for the fifth-most 3s made in a single Sixers season. He's now ninth on that list.
Canaan's fearless shot-making led to the affectionately coined phrase "Canaanball," which became commonplace on social media and at Sixers home games. He would let it fly; that was his greatest attribute. Canaan played for six teams in six years and never found much of a foothold outside of Philadelphia, but his brief Sixers tenure earned him a lifetime of support from the Philly faithful. He was a bolt of electricity for a team that desperately needed it.
14. Richaun Holmes
Richaun Holmes was a second-round pick by the Sixers in 2015. He spent three years with the organization, carving out a role despite the presence of Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, and Jahlil Okafor, all centers picked in the lottery. Holmes and head coach Brett Brown were never fully on the same page, but he forced his way into the rotation all the same. Holmes' vicious dunks and occasional dalliance with the 3-point line gave him a clear path to success in the NBA.
In one of the more infamous moves of the Bryan Colangelo (or post-Hinkie) era, Holmes was dealt to Phoenix for cash considerations ahead of the fourth and final year of his rookie contract. He came off the bench for the Suns, but signed with the Sacramento Kings in 2019 and became their everyday starter for the next three years. In the end, Holmes' pro career arguably amounted to more than both Noel and Okafor.
13. Ish Smith
Ish Smith was one of the few established vets to take root in Philadelphia during "The Process" years. Nerlens Noel once called him "the first true point guard I've ever really played with." Smith joined the Sixers midway through the 2014-15 season, bringing new life to a stagnant offense with his quick first step. Smith began the next season in New Orleans, but was traded back to the Sixers in December 2015 for two second-round picks.
Smith played for 13 teams over 14 years, a true NBA journeyman. He averaged double-digit scoring in both stints with Philadelphia — and only twice elsewhere. The Sixers made Smith, a career backup, into a makeshift starting point guard, playing far above his means, but it worked. It did not necessarily help Philadelphia win games, but he sure helped set the table and make the on-court product a bit more watchable.
12. Jerami Grant
The No. 39 pick back in 2014, Jerami Grant was viewed as a project coming out of Syracuse. He found no shortage of playing time on a god-awful Sixers team; by his second year, he was practically a full-time starter. Grant played out of position, but his defensive versatility became a prized asset. Two games into his third NBA season, Bryan Colangelo — Hinkie's successor — sent Grant to OKC for veteran forward Ersan Ilyasova, marking a clear win-now pivot.
While Grant's Sixers tenure was brief and unspectacular, he was one of many gems unearthed by Hinkie. He has since gone on to earn over $171 million in the NBA among five teams, with the upcoming 2026-27 campaign marking the end of a five-year, $160 million contract. Grant's role has morphed and expanded over the years, but there's no telling how his career pans out without the immediate opportunity afforded to him by "The Process."
11. Hollis Thompson
Hollis Thompson was essentially with "The Process" from beginning to end. He started in 2013-14, breaking into the league on a Sixers team that had just hit the reset button. His NBA career stalled in 2016-17, Embiid's first year on the court. As an undrafted free agent out of Georgetown, Thompson started 41 games in his rookie season. He was one of the Sixers' few shooters during the Hinkie era, providing some much-needed floor spacing on the wing.
That's probably the only reason he played. Thompson was never great, but he gave the Sixers something they otherwise lacked. He was cut in January 2017; he was picked up by the Pelicans for nine games, then his NBA career evaporated. While Thompson's contributions never really led to any tangible results, he embodies "The Process" more than most. His career really only happened because of Sam Hinkie's commitment to searching for diamonds in the rough — and losing a lot of basketball games.
10. Nik Stauskas
SAUCE CASTILLO!
Sacramento made Nik Stauskas the No. 8 overall pick in 2014, then moved him to Philadelphia a year later to shed salary. As part of the trade, the Sixers acquired the right to swap first-round picks with Sacramento in 2016. Philadelphia landed the No. 1 pick outright in 2016, drafting Ben Simmons, so the swap rights moved to 2017. The Sixers swapped up from No. 5 to No. 3 accordingly, then moved up from No. 3 to No. 1 in a separate deal with Boston, securing back-to-back No. 1 picks. In short: Philadelphia does not get Markelle Fultz without Nik Stauskas.
That sounded better in 2017 than it does now, but we can't blame Sam Hinkie for the cruelty of fate (or the ineptitude of Bryan Colangelo). Clearing the path to a No. 1 overall pick by taking on a middling lottery pick and about $15 million of additional salary (Jason Thompson and Carl Landry) is a stroke of genius. While Stauskas never performed all that well in Philadelphia, he was a useful shooter next to Joel Embiid and well-liked among the fanbase. The words "Sauce Castillo" still carry weight in Philly.
9. Tony Wroten
Tony Wroten's NBA career was utterly fascinating. A first-round pick to the Grizzlies in 2012, he played sparingly as a rookie before being traded to the Sixers for a second-round pick the next summer. In his first career start, Wroten posted a triple-double. He became an instant fan favorite. Wroten was a double-digit scorer in his first two years with the Sixers, but he tore his ACL in January 2015. After a brief return in the 2015-16 season, he was waived — and his NBA career was over. He was kicked around the D League for a bit before departing to play overseas.
Wroten is beloved in Philadelphia. He was both entertaining and extremely competitive, in a way the city tends to embrace. He also coined the phrase "Trust the Process," which turned into a rallying cry and a system of belief for Sixers fans. Wroten never got his fair shake in the NBA, but he will live on in Sixers legend for eternity.
8. Michael Carter-Williams
Michael Carter-Williams was the No. 11 overall pick in 2013, stepping into the point guard minutes vacated by Jrue Holiday. MCW immediately popped, with 22 points, 12 assists, and nine steals in his pro debut. He would go on to win Rookie of the Year. Then, at the 2015 trade deadline, he was moved to Milwaukee for draft picks in a move that was roundly criticized by impatient Sixers fans.
But therein lies the genius of Sam Hinkie. He was always thinking several years ahead. MCW was putting up gaudy stat lines, but he was also one of the least efficient volume scorers in the NBA, shooting 26.1 percent from deep in 111 appearances for the Sixers. MCW's fatal flaw was quickly exposed in a more competitive environment. He quickly became a benchwarming journeyman, far removed from the stardom so many Sixers fans imagined when he stuffed the stat sheet on one of the league's worst teams as a rookie.
7. Nerlens Noel
"The Process" pretty much began with Nerlens Noel, whom Philadelphia selected No. 6 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft. That kicked off a run of three straight top-10 picks allocated to the center position: Noel, Embiid, and Jahlil Okafor. Noel only lasted 2.5 seasons on Philadelphia's roster, dealt to Dallas in 2017 in exchange for Justin Anderson, Andrew Bogut, and a protected first-round pick.
Philadelphia acquired the right to draft Noel from the Jrue Holiday trade, which was the first major domino to fall in Sam Hinkie's sweeping roster teardown. Noel's incredible length and athleticism gave him a tantalizing defensive ceiling, but he never figured out how to provide the requisite value offensively. His short-lived Sixers tenure was an unequivocal disappointment. It was also foundational to Hinkie's legacy, for better and for worse.
6. Jahlil Okafor
Sam Hinkie took his "best available player" approach in the NBA Draft to its logical conclusion when he selected Duke center Jahlil Okafor No. 3 overall in 2015. Okafor was the third center Philadelphia picked top-10 in a three-year span, joining Nerlens Noel and Joel Embiid. While Okafor ultimately failed to live up to his pre-draft hype, Hinkie's goal was clear: to accumulate as much talent as possible in order to maximize long-term value, even if it meant pulling off an impossible balancing act with three potential stars at the same position.
Okafor finished fifth in Rookie of the Year voting, averaging 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 30.0 minutes. From there, it was a steep decline as Okafor's post-up stylings became outmoded. He was a throwback player in a modernizing sport, much too slow-footed on defense and ball-dominant on offense. While the result was not what Hinkie or the Sixers hoped for, the logic behind the pick — the process, if you will — was almost revolutionary. Hinkie's approach has influenced a great many rebuilds since.
5. Dario Saric
The Sixers moved back, from No. 10 to No. 12, in the 2014 NBA Draft to acquire the rights to Croatian forward Dario Šarić. Keyword: rights. Because Šarić did not come over until 2016. "When is he coming over?" became both a joke and a rallying cry for Sixers fans. When he did arrive, Šarić was fully formed as a versatile role player. He could space the floor, hammer the glass, and deliver funky, offbeat passes.
A fast fan favorite, Šarić wound up spending 3.5 years in Philadelphia before he was dealt to Minnesota in the Jimmy Butler trade. So patience, yet again, paid off. That was foundational to the Hinkie draft strategy. He always found creative ways to maximize value while kicking the "winning basketball games" can further down the road. Šarić finished second to Malcolm Brogdon in 2016-17 Rookie of the Year voting, by the way — ahead of teammate Joel Embiid, who was penalized for not playing enough games after his own two-year wait period.
4. T.J. McConnell
After splitting four productive and impactful seasons between Duquesne and Arizona in college, T.J. McConnell entered the NBA as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He performed well on the Sixers' Summer League squad and eventually scrapped his way to a roster spot. McConnell averaged 6.1 points and 4.5 assists in 19.8 minutes per game as a rookie, starting 17 games. He wound up spending four pivotal seasons in Philly, helping them transform from a bottom-dweller into a legitimate contender.
Few athletes in recent memory have better embodied the spirit of Philadelphia as a sports town. McConnell embraced the blue-collar, work-as-currency mindset that this city loves. He was undersized, not remotely athletic by NBA standards, and yet he's now going into his 12th NBA season as a critical bench piece for the Indiana Pacers. All because McConnell out-hustles his opponents every night, whether it's picking pockets in the backcourt, bottling up the point of attack on defense, or zipping up the floor and creating for teammates off of dribble penetration.
3. Robert Covington
Like T.J. McConnell, Robert Covington came into the league as an undrafted free agent. Playing his college ball at Tennessee State, Covington was picked up by Daryl Morey — Sam Hinkie's mentor in Houston — for his rookie season in 2013-14. After playing in just seven games as a rookie, Covington joined the Sixers in year two. He played in 70 games that season, starting in 49 and averaging 13.5 points per game. That would end up being his career high in scoring.
Covington spent 4.5 seasons in Philadelphia until he was dealt, alongside fellow "Process" legend Dario Šarić, for Jimmy Butler. So a cheap, no-name pickup from Sam Hinkie in the midst of Philadelphia's lowest years allowed Philadelphia to pair Butler with Joel Embiid, which is the closest the Sixers have come to competing for a championship since 2001. Covington made First Team All-Defensive once and finished top-eight in DPOY voting twice with Philadelphia.
2. Ben Simmons
Upon Hinkie's ouster, Bryan Colangelo was left with a treasure trove of assets and a juicy No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, which he used on LSU point guard Ben Simmons. Simmons, as if paying homage to bygone "Process" rituals, missed his first NBA season with a broken foot. Once healthy, he quickly scaled the ladder to stardom. By his second NBA season, Simmons was an All-Star. By year three, he was All-NBA Third Team and First Team All-Defensive, finishing fourth in DPOY voting.
Simmons' eventual collapse and the epic flameout of his career (though he's back with the Sacramento Kings on a non-guaranteed contract this season) are well-documented. Qualms about his competitive fire became increasingly prevalent over the years, although his real downfall was more the result of a nagging back injury and the mental gymnastics tied to free-throw aversion. Simmons' arrival, in many ways, marked the official end of "The Process" and the beginning of a new era. But he was very much Sam Hinkie's last gift to the franchise, even if his successors squandered that gift.
1. Joel Embiid
There is no better emblem for "The Process" than "The Process" himself, Joel Embiid. Selected with the No. 3 overall pick in 2014, Embiid established many core tenets of Sam Hinkie's team-building philosophy. He missed his first two years due to a chronic foot issue, which was fine — because Philadelphia was being patient. The Embiid pick was never about immediate returns. It was about investing in what Embiid could become.
Hinkie didn't last long enough to see the fruits of his labor, but Embiid did blossom in the most spectacular fashion. He averaged 20.2 points in 25.4 minutes as a rookie, and it was all uphill from there. Now in his early 30s, Embiid is a seven-time All-Star, a five-time All-NBA center, a two-time scoring champ, and an MVP. Injuries have been a defining force in his career, often limiting Embiid in the postseason. Still, he is one of the most dominant players of his generation and Hinkie's greatest accomplishment.
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