National Basketball Association

Philadelphia 76ers: The Process Thriving, And The Trade Deadline

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:55 p.m. ET

Fansided, Gerald Bourguet/FanSided via Hoops Habit

Jan 18, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; From left to right Philadelphia 76ers center Jahlil Okafor (8) and center Joel Embiid (21) and center Nerlens Noel (4) warm up before the game against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia 76ers are finally fun again, but where does The Process go from here? Here’s a look at their present and future for a crowded frontcourt.

For the past three years, the Philadelphia 76ers were the laughingstock of the NBA.

General manager Sam Hinkie was vilified for his unabashed tank job that was seen as an all-out assault on the competitive spirit of the game. The Sixers won 47 games over three seasons, and despite having such favorable draft odds, they couldn’t even win the No. 1 overall draft pick either. “The Process” just never seemed to have any forward momentum.

Like all revolutionary thinkers, Hinkie wasn’t appreciated until after his time, when the Sixers finally earned the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, selected Ben Simmons and gleefully watched as both Joel Embiid and Dario Saric suited up for the first time.

It was the fruit of Hinkie’s labor, but it’s all finally starting to pay off.

The last three seasons were miserable, but for the first time, “The Process” feels like it’s actually going somewhere. Embiid is the runaway favorite for Rookie of the Year honors, Simmons is bound to prove his talents as the team’s point forward once he returns, and the Sixers had won more games by mid-January than they did all of last season.

Philly has now won seven of its last nine games, putting them only 5.5 games out of a playoff spot. The question is, with an undeniable frontcourt logjam, an injured franchise cornerstone and another franchise cornerstone on a minutes restriction, where are the Sixers really at right now, and where do they go from here?

Jan 18, 2017; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) reacts as fans chant his name after a score against the Toronto Raptors during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Present

The Sixers have given us far more reasons to watch than in the past, but as fun as Joel Embiid has been on and off the court, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves. This team is still a long shot for the playoffs, as their 14-26 record indicates.

However, even with Philly sitting in 13th place in the East, it’s worth noting that Brett Brown’s team has been on a tear lately. Their 7-2 stretch starting with wins over bottom-feeders like Denver, Minnesota, Brooklyn and New York, but their last three victories have come against playoff-caliber teams in Charlotte, Milwaukee and Toronto.

Nobody should be buying into Embiid’s playoff talk just yet, but the Sixers are only 5.5 games out of the eighth seed in a weak Eastern Conference. It’s highly unlikely, but also not impossible.

The biggest reason for this, and for the Sixers being relatively watchable again, is clearly Embiid. In his rookie season, “The Process” has absolutely shattered expectations, putting up a whopping 19.9 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game — all of which lead this year’s rookie class by a significant margin.

The fact that he’s doing this in just 25.4 minutes per game is staggering, and you can count this writer among those who believe Embiid’s minutes restrictions and missed games due to rest should not hold him out of a well-deserved All-Star spot in any way, shape or form.

Embiid’s off the court antics have turned him in a living, breathing Paul Bunyan. His exploits — from retweeting a fake Donald Trump account for All-Star votes, to his continued efforts to woo Rihanna, to dancing with Sixers cheerleaders after a win, to his ruthless comments on Instagram — have made him an endearing benchmark among the next generation of unicorn superstars.

As a seven-footer who is shooting threes at a 34.8 percent clip and envisions himself as a point guard one day, Embiid’s skill set is truly remarkable.

The inevitable Rookie of the Year isn’t the only thing Philadelphia has going for itself these days though. Ersan Ilyasova has been terrific since the Oklahoma City Thunder banished him to NBA Siberia, averaging 14.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and shooting 36.7 percent from deep in a Sixers uniform.

There’s also Dario Saric, a rookie who would be making more noise if not for Embiid’s outlandish production. Saric struggles with consistency so far, shooting just 38.7 percent from the field, but he’s averaging a respectable 9.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in 24.1 minutes per game off the bench.

Meanwhile, T.J. McConnell has proven himself as the team’s go-to point guard until Ben Simmons is ready, even knocking in a game-winner over the Knicks that gave the Sixers their closest thing to a real-life Rudy moment:

TRUST. THE. PROCESS. pic.twitter.com/KhWLkxQyXb

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) January 12, 2017

The Sixers are a fun, plucky bunch, and have been much more competitive lately. However, their -5.6 point differential ranks as the second-worst in the East, and as long as Embiid remains on a minutes/game restriction (currently set at 28), this team will struggle to turn this current momentum into an actual playoff spot.

Then again, considering what’s in store for this team moving forward, perhaps another season in the cellar of the East wouldn’t be the worst outcome.

Dec 14, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) and forward Nerlens Noel (M) and forward Ben Simmons (R) during a timeout in the second half against the Toronto Raptors at Wells Fargo Center. The Toronto Raptors won 123.114. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Future Frontcourt

There’s no question that Embiid has proven himself as the most precious asset the Sixers have. He’s a seven-footer who can shoot threes, protect the rim, throw down monstrous dunks, handle the ball and dominate social media. He’s a star on and off the court, making him untouchable.

The question is, where does that leave the rest of a crowded frontcourt?

The 22-year-old Saric is only in his rookie season, and since he has the potential to spread the floor as a power forward, he shouldn’t be going anywhere.

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On the flip side of the coin, Ilyasova is already 29, but he’s clearly the better stretch-4 right now and he’s been useful to the Sixers during their recent upswing, so there’s no need to trade him either.

There’s also poor Richaun Holmes, another 6’10” power forward who’s been all but removed from the rotation because the Sixers just have too many 4s, let alone 5s, but he won’t have much value on the trade market.

The key to all this, especially at the 4-spot, will be Ben Simmons. He has all the tools to be a star, and playing with stretch-bigs should ease the pressure for him to develop a reliable perimeter shot right away. His traditional position would be power forward, but his court vision and passing ability will make him this team’s point guard once he’s healthy.

When Simmons does return, the Sixers should start him at the 1, and either have T.J. McConnell play alongside him since he’s been playing so well, or have a more traditional 2 like Nik Stauskas start next to him. In either case, that’d allow Ilyasova to continue starting at the 4, with Embiid at the 5 and Robert Covington at the 3.

That would continue to leave room for Saric off the bench…and enough minutes for one backup center. The question is, should it be Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor?

Jan 24, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) and center Jahlil Okafor (8) react after a score against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Noel vs. Okafor

Through the few months of the season, it seemed like Noel was the clear trade candidate.

Okafor was coming off a rookie campaign in which he put up 17.5 points, 7.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game; Noel was coming off a knee surgery in October that forced him to miss the team’s first 23 games.

With threes centers and only so many minutes to go around, Brown began the season by taking the minutes out of the injured Noel’s pockets. Noel’s viral comments about Philadelphia needing to “figure this s**t out” quickly removed him from the rotation for awhile…until everyone realized that even if the Sixers wanted to trade him, they’d have to play him.

Then a funny, all-too-predictable thing happened: Noel started doing way more with his minutes than Okafor.

His mundane averages of 7.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks per game don’t tell the whole story, since they clearly pale in comparison to Okafor’s 11.2 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

But there’s a reason Okafor has played a grand total of 65 minutes (over three games) during Philadelphia’s 7-2 spurt: His defense is absolutely horrendous.

Embiid can somewhat spread the floor at age 22, which helps make up for Noel being useless outside the paint on offense. Okafor was touted as a second coming of Al Jefferson, but his defense has been even worse than Big Al’s and his array of post moves have been nowhere near as impressive.

Most people who have been paying attention know that Jahlil Okafor is not a good basketball player right now. Neither is Noel, but he’s been far better now that he’s actually getting opportunities. He still has Defensive Player of the Year potential, is a better theoretical fit around Embiid, and don’t forget, he put up 11.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.5 blocks per game just last year.

Noel has more value as a trade candidate, but Okafor is only 21 and some team would be willing to take a swing on a No. 3 overall pick with so much low-post scoring to offer. If the Sixers can swing a deal for Okafor, that’s how they should choose to alleviate the logjam.

Dec 1, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) and center Jahlil Okafor (8) celebrate a score against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The 76ers won 103-91. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Problems

Keeping Noel and trading Okafor seems like the more logical choice, but there are three potential problems with that line of thinking: 1) Noel’s upcoming restricted free agency, 2) Okafor’s diminishing trade value and 3) Noel’s attitude toward this whole situation.

Noel being entering RFA this summer complicates matters as the NBA’s salary cap continues to rise, but he’s been a far better fit as Embiid’s backup than Okafor, and nobody in the NBA has less of an excuse to avoid hefty free agency extensions than the Sixers, who have tons of extra cap room, very little pull on outside free agents and a brutally ugly recent history to atone for.

For the fans, for the culture, for the good of the team, you make re-signing Nerlens Noel a top priority this summer (unless he absolutely doesn’t want to be there).

This brings us to our third point: Noel’s attitude. While he hasn’t shied away from voicing his displeasure with the franchise for clogging the 5-spot, he’s also getting minutes again and his team is finally winning. Offer him a sizable contract and it’s unlikely his temperament would be more of a problem than Okafor, who hasn’t exactly been thrilled to be in Philly ever since the Lakers passed on him with the No. 2 overall pick.

Okafor’s trade value is a potential issue considering his numbers are down across the board and he’s hardly playing anymore, but he’s still only 21, is on a cheap rookie contract and might fare better with a change of scenery to a more stable franchise.

There are plenty of potential obstacles to trading Noel or Okafor. One player is defensively inclined with no offense outside of dunks, while the other’s defense is so bad it overshadows what he could provide on offense. There’s Noel’s health history and contract to consider as well. To be honest, given Embiid’s unstable health history, having two backups isn’t the worst alternative.

However, if the Sixers feel the pressure to clear their center logjam by this year’s trade deadline and continue riding the first signs of momentum The Process has put forth, they should target Jahlil Okafor suitors rather than Nerlens Noel trade partners.