The Philadelphia 76ers walked into Thursday night with the No.1 draft pick and had their choice of who they wanted to build their core into the future with.
Everything went according to plan and the team picked Markelle Fultz whom many had projected to be the top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
GM Bryan Colangelo was able to convince the Boston Celtics to swap picks in order to take Fultz in a palatable situation for both teams.
So what do you do when you get the first pick in the draft in order to continue building a soon to be dangerous future core? Coach Brett Brown‘s first thought was to text former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie and thank him for the plan which he called The Process.
Although Hinkie is no longer with the franchise, and while the team began sinking into a hole of being a losing culture, the process itself netted the team several first-round picks which is now looking to have been a great call after all.
Brown was elated and told CSN's Jessica Camerato that both Hinkie and Colangelo both did tremendous work for the franchise.
“You can't help but go back and recognize how we arrived at the picks that we had this year. I think you have to step back and really acknowledge the great work that Bryan did getting it over the line … (but) you can't dismiss the position that the club and Sam helped put us in to get us to this level.”
While the work Hinkie started ultimately cost him his job, there are plenty within the organization that appreciates what his vision was, and even Sixers owner Josh Harris couldn't help but be grateful for the position his team is now in.
“I am going to text Sam Hinkie a big kiss tonight.”
That sounds like the voice of a man glad to move away from a losing culture, but also one who didn't know what he had until it was gone.
Follow Us
Subscribe