Somewhere, Sam Hinkie (probably) sat in a dark room Wednesday night, occasionally pumping his fist between sips from his highball and inaudibly-mumbled phrases that sounded bitter and resentful. Everything he’d worked for had finally come to fruition, even if he was no longer happily employed enough to enjoy it.
The former general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers had been begging and preaching for fans to “trust the process” while the team went through an ugly, catastrophic rebuild. It got uglier when the NBA stepped in and essentially pushed Hinkie out, appointing USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo as the new man in charge. The process seemingly couldn’t be trusted any longer.
But on a night when former No. 3 overall pick Joel Embiid finally made his NBA debut two years after being drafted, everything changed. The Process is back, and it’s here to stay.
The 7-foot-2 sensation dazzled in his first professional game, stuffing the stat sheet — and the Oklahoma City Thunder — in a 103-97 loss that was much closer than anyone expected it to be. His final line: 20 points (including a 3-pointer!), seven rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes of action.
To say Philly fans were fired up might be an understatement. At one point, with the Sixers up three points in the fourth quarter and Embiid at the line, they started chanting “Trust-The-Pro-Cess! Trust-The-Pro-Cess!”
Here’s some of the best highlights and reaction from the game.
There it is, Joel Embiid's very first regular season game introduction. pic.twitter.com/cyMVgbxasX
— Jessica Camerato (@JessicaCamerato) October 27, 2016
https://twitter.com/CauldronICYMI/status/791435586192015361
this embiid block was disgusting https://t.co/tyerrhe2mS
— drew (@sixersruinedme) October 27, 2016
Blind Pig out of triangle action, Embiid iso https://t.co/ut37MaLBfr
— BBALLBREAKDOWN (@bballbreakdown) October 27, 2016
Embiid for 3, leaving it up there… pic.twitter.com/OZGlBKpZjl
— Steve Noah (@Steve_OS) October 27, 2016
https://twitter.com/Sam_Vecenie/status/791461711005962240
Joel Embiid's big debut had him & Philly fans feeling confident. https://t.co/eFGblxixUB
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 27, 2016
Sixers fans chanting "Trust the process" #HinkieDiedForThis pic.twitter.com/m2wDI8QfVe
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) October 27, 2016
It's about Embiid's fifth or sixth standing ovation.
— Bob Cooney (@BobCooney76) October 27, 2016
Joel Embiid had 20 points in his NBA debut.
He never scored 20 points in 28 games in his one season at Kansas. pic.twitter.com/DKhB1OnkVZ
— ESPN (@espn) October 27, 2016
Thumbnail photo via Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports Images
