The Philadelphia 76ers are now one of the better teams in the NBA, but they didn't just reach that point overnight. It was a long, hard process that began in 2013 and spanned several years of painful, historically bad basketball.

But now, the Sixers are reaping the benefits of those down years, as they would not have Joel Embiid or Ben Simmons without them.

The architect behind those seasons? Former general manager Sam Hinkie, who clearly tanked so Philadelphia could earn the draft picks needed to get guys like Embiid and Simmons.

Obviously, Embiid still remembers Hinkie fondly, as the All-Star big man named his new puppy after the fallen executive:

Hinkie resigned from his post as Sixers general manager in April 2016, but it seemed obvious they were pushing him out at the time.

While Philly did nothing but lose during Hinkie's three-year run at the helm and there were some questionable moves in the process, there is no doubt that the foundation for the team's success today is a result of Hinkie's decisions.

The Sixers won 19, 18 and 10 games, respectively, in Hinkie's three seasons with the club, and in 2017, they jumped to 28 wins before winning 52 games and making it to the second round of the playoffs last year.

Philadelphia currently owns a record of 42-25 this season.

As for Joel Embiid, the center returned on Sunday afternoon against the Indiana Pacers after missing eight straight games with knee soreness and ended up posting 33 points and 12 rebounds over 28 minutes in a 17-point win.