Divergent Process: The Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic

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Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, Nikola Vucevic

ORLANDO, FL – MARCH 22: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers handles the ball against the Orlando Magic on March 22, 2018 at Amway Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images) /

The Process turns to Product

Finally healthy, putting on the floor Dario Saric, Ben Simmons, Joel Embiid, J.J. Redick, Robert Covington, Ersan Ilyasova and Markelle Fultz, the team easily defeated the slower, veteran-heavy Miami Heat. They may make for an interesting matchup against the upcoming winner of the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics series.

They can spread the floor, are athletic, can defend well and are currently leading playoff teams in foul shots.

Of course, this year did not go on without injuries to Fultz and Embiid. They still managed to finish 52-30 in their breakout season. This has to be one of the greatest grow-ups in NBA history. They only lost 11 games in the 2018 calendar year behind Simmons wildly successful rookie year. Many have compared the 76ers’ quick ascent to the 1995 Magic.

Then compare the Magic’s so called “Process”.

The Magic added Victor Oladipo, Aaron Gordon, Elfrid Payton, Evan Fournier in the next two years after the 2013 Draft. Combine that with Tobias Harris, Nikola Vucevic, Maurice Harkless, Kyle O’Quinn and Channing Frye mixing in, at this time, it seemed like Rob Hennigan’s plan was starting to materialize.

Yet Hinkie’s final product was still seasons away. Hinkie selected two players that would not impact immediately, but it is sort of strange to think Hennigan had already cemented the roster of the future in just two years.

It never coalesced. The pieces never came together for the Magic and the roster never seemed to fit.

Orlando shuffled through coaches, firing Jacque Vaughn after three seasons. Then Scott Skiles squeezed out 35 wins out of the team before suddenly resigning early in the summer.

Ownership too seemed to lose patience and put Playoff expectations on a team that was still clearly growing and searching for an identity. Rob Hennigan pushed in on free agency too soon, shipping out Maurice Harkless for nothing and Tobias Harris for cap space. He traded Victor Oladipo, now a NBA All-Star, for a Serge Ibaka rental that never panned out.

The whole rebuild was moving slowly forward, but not fast enough for the higher-ups. And the management lost faith in the work they had done the previous four seasons. They buried a deep hole.

Orlando let go of Rob Hennigan after the 2017 season, bringing in Jeff Weltman as president of basketball operations to try to right the ship. Hennigan’s last few months were confusing at best. The team identity was nowhere to be found. The team lost a decent amount of assets, leaving Weltman with a mess to clean.

This brings us to the present. The Weltman era.