“Trust the Process” is a phrase commonly associated with the Philadelphia 76ers these day. It originated as something of a throwaway line from Spike Eskin and Michael Levin of the Rights to Ricky Sanchez podcast, but it's since become a rallying cry and/or mission statement for the 76ers faithful.

The “process” is just another word for Sam Hinkie's Master Plan to rebuild the 76ers. The plan is simple, but nothing short of controversial.


Philadelphia has clearly bottomed out their roster while focusing on building through the NBA Draft. Along the way, Hinkie has aimed to horde assets and acquire young, inexpensive talent.

It seems safe to say a lot of 76ers fans are on board with the moves Hinkie has made to this point. But while Hinkie has done a good job of handling things he can control, he hasn't had the benefit of being super lucky. There are few guarantees, if any, in sports. Hinkie has taken calculated risks but they haven't paid off so far.

The most recent example of Philadelphia's bad luck is the unfortunate news about Joel Embiid. After sitting out the entire 2014-2015 NBA season with a foot injury, Embiid will now miss the 2015-2016 season after needing to have a second operation done. Make no mistake, the 76ers knew Embiid was an injury risk when they drafted him. It's not a total shock he's struggled with health issues. Still, they made the right decision to pick him because he's just so talented. The gamble was worth it, and still is.

Philadelphia hasn't necessarily had bad luck when it comes to the NBA Draft Lottery, but they haven't had much good luck either. In 2014, the 76ers picked third despite being the second worst team in the NBA, so that was a little unlucky. This year, the 76ers ended up picking third which is where they deserved to be based on the final standings. Based on these slots, however, it seems like the 76ers missed out on the guys they really wanted. Or at least according to media reports. In 2014, it was Andrew Wiggins who Philadelphia supposedly really wanted. This year, Ohio State point guard D'Angelo Russell was reportedly the prize of Hinkie's eye, but he went to the Los Angeles Lakers one pick before the 76ers. Whether the 76ers really wanted Wiggins and/or Russell remains to be seen. But it's hard not to think those players would have fit more nicely together than a frontcourt logjam of Embiid, Nerlens Noel, and Jahlil Okafor.  

Another example of the 76ers' bad luck can be seen with the first round picks they own from other teams. It looked like the 76ers were going to have at least two first round selections in the 2015 NBA Draft, but the protections on the picks saved them all by a very slim margin. The Lakers' pick wasn't ever super likely to convey, but the Miami Heat were just one spot away from likely conveying the No. 11 pick to Philadelphia. Oklahoma City, on the other hand, came close to giving the 76ers the No. 19 overall pick. The good news is that the 76ers will still likely get these picks in 2016, but if the Heat and Thunder improve they won't be nearly as good as they were going to be in 2014.

Sometimes it's the teams who don't deserve to be lucky who get the good fortune. Look at the Minnesota Timberwolves, for example. They actually tried to be competitive heading into the 2014-2015 season. That organization actually traded away a first round pick for one year (and not even a full one after trading him away) of Thaddeus Young. Yet, they won the lottery and now they have Karl-Anthony Towns to pair with Andrew Wiggins. The Timberwolves stumbled into a really good situation.

Despite Philadelphia's bad luck, there is still plenty of reason to be optimistic about the 76ers. The team has potentially four first round picks in the 2016 NBA Draft and plenty of cap space to boot. The 76ers also have potential young building blocks like Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor on the roster.

Still, the truth is that the “process” can only take the 76ers so far. Eventually, the 76ers are going to need some luck. For Hinkie's sake, hopefully he can get lucky sooner than later.