5 Reasons To Still Trust The Process
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It has not been a good week for the on-the-fringe trust the process-ers.
Let's review:
- Bryan Colangelo is forced to reveal Joel Embiid has a "very minor" meniscal tear, just one day after leaving that out of his interview on 94WIP
- Jahlil Okafor is benched for two games due to "trade rumors"
- Brett Brown says Ben Simmons will not participate in 5-on-5 activities during the all-star break
- The Kings, whom the Sixers own a pick swap with, win four straight games (before losing on Wednesday)
- The Lakers, whom must gave their first-round pick to the Sixers unless it's a top 3 pick, continue to lose and reportedly want to trade their leading scorer Lou Williams
- Okafor returns to the lineup on Wednesday night and scores four points in 17 minutes of a loss to the Celtics, snapping a three-game winning streak
So if you're struggling to trust the process, it's understandable. But here are five reasons why you should continue to trust it.
5. Joel Embiid
While he may have a "very minor" partial meniscal tear, he's still a 7'2" basketball player who is a 78% foul shooter and a 36.7% three-point shooter. Brown told the 94WIP Morning Show on Wednesday that the plan is to play Embiid after the all-star break.
4. Brett Brown
Speaking of Brown, he is -- in my humble opinion -- the most underrated sports figure in Philadelphia. The way Brown has dealt with turmoil, taking punch after punch -- especially over this past week -- while continuing to develop young players, keep a positive attitude, and actually win games has been nothing short than incredible.
The Sixers went on a three-game winning streak without Embiid, before playing a scorching hot Celtics team down the wire in Boston on Wednesday night. The growth of players like T.J. McConnell, Robert Covington, Dario Saric, and Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot has been glaring.
The Sixers, 21-35, have already doubled their win total from last season.
3. Dario Saric
The Homie is playing out of his mind. The above tweet came before his 20 point (9-18 FG), 11 rebound performance on Wednesday against the Celtics.
For the season, Saric is averaging 10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.3 blocks (some big ones), in 24.4 minutes per game. He's shooting 39.7-percent from the field, 32.7-percent from three, and 78.4-percent from the line.
He's the second favorite for rookie of the year behind Embiid.
2. Ben Simmons
We don't know when he's going to play, but it's coming eventually. Let's not forget that the first college basketball player to average 19 points, 11 rebounds, and four assists per game since 1986 is on the Sixers.
And he's really, really good.
1. The Assets Sam Hinkie Left
If the aforementioned Kings pick swap and Lakers top-3 protected pick do not convey this year, they will convey eventually. The brilliance in what Sam Hinkie did is evident -- not only by Embiid, Saric, and essentially Simmons -- but by the "optionality" and flexibility he has given Colangelo and the Sixers going forward.
Take a look at the Sixers' assets, in addition to their own draft picks:
- 2017 first-round pick swap with the Kings
- 2017 first-round pick from the Lakers (top 3 protected or unprotected in 2018)
- 2019 first-round pick from the Kings (unprotected)
- 2020 first-round pick from the Thunder (top 20 protected)
- 2017: An NBA high $27 million-ish in cap space
- Players: Okafor, Covington, Nerlens Noel, T.J. McConnell, Richaun Holmes, and Nik Stauskas
