The Philadelphia 76ers’ season came to a humiliating end, swept in four games by the New York Knicks. While there are reasons to believe the franchise can bounce back, the era of “The Process” is now undeniably over.
“You guys wanna see a dead body?”
Fans of the Philadelphia 76ers know that feeling all too well. It’s the moment you finally confront something you’ve been dreading. The corpse of “The Process” — the grand basketball philosophy meant to redeem the franchise and its long-suffering fanbase — has been laid out on the court. The Sixers were swept by the Knicks, losing the final game by 30 points in an arena filled with opposing fans. The Process has been dead for a while, but many were too stubborn or sentimental to admit it.
When Sam Hinkie took over as general manager in May 2013, the 76ers were stuck in mediocrity. His diagnosis — that the middle of the standings is the worst place to be — was correct. His prescription of ruthless tanking, stockpiling draft picks, and hoarding assets was analytically sound and, in a narrow sense, successful. He brought Joel Embiid to Philadelphia and set the stage for Tyrese Maxey. But in the broader picture, Hinkie’s vision failed. Over 13 years, the team never reached the conference finals, let alone won a title.
Modern NBA title contenders need athleticism, positional versatility, switchable defenders, and, above all, youth. Current general manager Daryl Morey has built the opposite: aging, injury-prone stars on max contracts surrounded by veterans past their prime and unproven role players. In 2024, he signed 34-year-old Paul George to a four-year max deal despite his injury history. He extended Embiid, another player plagued by injuries, for $60 million a year through 2029. This roster is built for 2006, not 2026 — iso-heavy, big-man-centric, dependent on Embiid dominating through free throws and sheer will. The league has moved past that style. The Knicks, with their depth, youth, and relentless energy, looked like they were playing a different game.
No honest look at the 2026 76ers can ignore what Embiid has become, and it’s uncomfortable. For a few seasons, he was one of the best players in the world — elite footwork, face-up game, passing, three-point shooting. His MVP season in 2022-23 was a masterpiece. He carried structurally flawed rosters to the second round year after year despite injuries that would have ended other careers. That version of Embiid is gone. He hasn’t played more than 40 games in a regular season since his MVP campaign. He was injured again in Game 1 of the playoffs against the Knicks and clearly wasn’t himself. The future looks bleak: a flawed roster, an aging star on a massive contract, and a fanbase that has waited too long. The Process is over. Now the Sixers must start a new one.