For years, the Philadelphia 76ers blatantly decided to tank to get top-5 lottery picks and rebuild their team with elite talent. It was a tough time for the fans as the team was literally trying to lose and filling their roster with bad players, but they had hope it would eventually pay off.
So, when Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons broke out, it looked like all the tears had been worth it. Embiid looked like a generational talent – which he still is – and Simmons seemed poised to become a Magic Johnson-kind of player.
Fast-forward to today and it’s clear that either The Process didn’t work out as expected and they need to break their duo up, or that they need to add different kind of players around them to succeed.
As a matter of fact, as redditor BluberryGummies pointed out, since The Process began, the Atlanta Hawks made the Eastern Conference Finals, rebuilded, and made that stage again. The Sixers, on the other hand, haven’t made it past the second round:
- 2014-15 Atlanta Hawks: 60-22, lost in Eastern Conference Finals to the Cavaliers
- 2014-15 Philadelphia 76ers: 18-64, 3rd worst record in the NBA
- 2020-21 Atlanta Hawks: 41-31, 5th seed in the East, Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Bucks
- 2020-21 Philadelphia 76ers: 49-23, lost in Eastern Conference 2nd round to the Atlanta Hawks
Again, the Sixers have enough talent to be a championship contender but something’s gotta change, and it’s gotta change right now.
The Sixers’ fanbase has been through enough already. It’s been 20 years since they last made the NBA Finals and haven’t won a ring since 1983.
Some people claim that The Process years took a toll on the team’s identity and mentality and they just don’t know how to win. Whether that’s true or not is not for us to decide, but we don’t know if the fans can continue to just Trust The Process.
