Joel Embiid says Sixers are ‘always going to be trusting the process’

Sixers fans gathered at XFINITY Live! on Tuesday evening to mourn what was billed as the death of The Process as we know it. But Joel Embiid refuses to let go of the slogan Philadelphia has come to know and love, and he insists TTP is here to stay.

Speaking with CSN’s Jessica Camerato after the lottery’s conclusion, Embiid stressed that in his mind, the results of the lottery had no impact on whether or not The Process was over. In his mind, it will never end:

Sometimes people don’t understand the definition of the process. The process is not just about getting over what we’ve been going through for the past three or four years. I feel like the process is going to keep on going. It’s a process to get over that hump. Then it’s a process to make the playoffs. Then it’s another process to get to the Conference Finals and then another process to get to the Finals and win an NBA championship.

It applies to everything in life. We’re always going to be trusting the process.

This is exactly what you want to hear from your potential franchise player, particularly one who had to dodge maturity questions during the early stages of his rehab from foot surgery. Embiid has come to respect the grind that goes into every stage of his personal process, and he sees how it might apply to the Sixers’ path toward success and contention.

It should serve as a reminder to the front office and the rest of the organization as well. Just as Embiid shouldn’t be skipping steps in his rehab and on-court development, the franchise can’t try to skip steps and chase results at the expense of what’s best over the long term. It might feel cathartic to go out and get a name-brand player with all their cap space and loudly proclaim, “WE’RE BACK” to a fanbase hungry for success, but the small wins and the steps taken are just as critical now as they’ve ever been.

The Sixers’ small climb into the top three was the result of pushing for every edge in a trade that transpired almost two years ago. Philadelphia’s brain trust needs to remember that, and their franchise center is the guy hammering the point home.