The Philadelphia 76ers have long rid themselves of Sam Hinkie, but his fingerprints are still all over the team which he experimented on during his reign as its general manager.
The jury is still out whether “The Process” Hinkie engineered in Philadelphia would amount to the success he envisioned when he was still pulling the strings for the team. For all the losses the Sixers absorbed during Hinkie’s regime in their yearly quest to get high positions in each NBA Drafts, they managed to stockpile on elite prospects in Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, Ben Simmons, Jahlil Okafor, and Markelle Fultz among others.
In a sort of a surprising revelation, however, Jake Fisher of Sports Illustrated was told by a source that Hinkie liked Brandon Ingram more than Ben Simmons in the lead up to the 2016 NBA Draft.
https://twitter.com/JakeLFischer/status/732729089623085058
The Sixers held the top pick last year and the consensus among experts and fans alike was that Philadelphia would take the LSU product first overall. Brandon Ingram was getting comparisons with Kevin Durant back then, but Ben Simmons was the can’t-miss talent that had the rare combination of size and versatility akin to that of LeBron James’.
While Simmons missed the entire 2016-17 season with a foot injury, the rookie is making up for lost time in a big way, as he’s averaging 17.5 points, 7.5 assists, and 9.5 rebounds per game so far this season. As for Ingram, he’s shown improvements after a disappointing rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers, but he’s still being outplayed by Simmons despite a big head start. On the season, the former Duke Blue Devil is averaging 14.5 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.
If this is indeed the case, Sixers fans may now be thankful that Sam Hinkie left his post in the organization earlier before passing up on Ben Simmons for Brandon Ingram in the 2016 draft. Now how would Lakers fans feel about that?
Follow Us
Subscribe