Brett Brown, Sam Hinkie

FILE - In this Dec. 11, 2015, file photo, Philadelphia 76ers general manager Sam Hinkie speaks at a news conference before an NBA basketball game against the Detroit Pistons in Philadelphia. Hinkie resigned Wednesday night, April 6, 2016.

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

ATLANTA -- Waiting to meet the Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics wing Evan Turner saw the reporters waiting by his locker Saturday night and sat down for a chat.

"You guys want to ask me about Hinkie or something?" Turner asked. "Alright, come on. I got 15 of those 47 wins."

Yes, the reporters wanted to hear Turner's thoughts on Sam Hinkie, the former Philadelphia 76ers general manager who resigned from that post Wednesday with a 13-page letter. Largely because of his deep commitment to a full-blown rebuilding process, Hinkie became a controversial figure around the NBA. To the end, he believed in his vision, but the 76ers won just 47 games during his two-plus year tenure. When the team brought Jerry Colangelo in to the front office, Hinkie saw his power disappearing and decided to leave his job.

He did leave the 76ers with a load of draft picks, a heap of salary cap flexibility, and a handful of guys -- like Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid and Dario Saric -- who could be quality NBA players. Turner said he believes that if Philadelphia does turn things around, Hinkie should one day receive an award for setting it up.

"I didn't read (the letter)," said Turner, who played for Hinkie's first Philadelphia team before getting traded at midseason that year. "A lot of people make assumptions on what they don't know. One thing I didn't know was (how well they're set up for the draft). That's somewhat ingenius. That could set them up great for the future. It's just in the NBA, I don't know what he had with (76ers owner) Josh Harris, but typically jobs, unless you're a legend, jobs don't last seven or eight years for a plan. I think if it does work out then he did set them up great, you know?"

One player who could help it all work out is Embiid, the No. 3 overall pick in 2014 who still hasn't played a single second in the NBA. The center out of Kansas has dealt with a series of injuries since before the draft, but Turner said he still hears raves about Embiid's potential.

"Embiid sounds like the next Olajuwon," Turner said.

Asked to expand on that comment, Turner brought up the sizes of two massive NBA centers, Roy Hibbert and Andrew Bynum. Clearly blown away by Embiid's body type, the Celtics wing continued, "And when I seen Embiid, I was like, 'That's Embiid?' They were like (nodding) 'That's Embiid.'

"And the guys working them out, I was like is he good, and they were like (nods vigorously). And I respect these people's opinions. So I can only imagine, man. The kid went in-between-the-legs dunk at 7-feet. Bigs are hard to find. That coordination, and I've seen him hit 15 straight threes from the top (of the arc). Hopefully it works out for him because I've got so much respect for (76ers head coach) Brett (Brown), I've got so much respect for the staff that works there, and when Philly gets going like in the Iverson days it can be a special city."

Every once in a while, Turner still wonders what Philadelphia could have been like for him in an alternate universe. He remains tight with former 76ers teammates Lou Williams, Jrue Holiday and Andre Iguodala, and says they sometimes discuss what could have happened if that group had stayed together.

"When we see each other," Turner explained. "We're still all great friends, and we still all enjoy being around each other. So sometimes every now and then, in between a drink, we'll be like damn, they should have never split us up. Like, damn, they're bogus as hell for splitting us up. And that's pretty much it. But it was already written, man. If it was supposed to happen, it would have happened."

The last time those four guys played together, the 76ers reached the second round of the playoffs and took the Celtics -- who still had Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen -- to seven games. But during the following summer, Iguodala was dealt in a trade for Andrew Bynum. After that swap became a disaster, the 76ers went on to make big changes in the ensuing years.

"Unfortunately Bynum got hurt," Turner said. "You can't knock anybody for going to go get a big man like that. At that time he was the best big in the league. Unfortunately his knees were messed up. Bigs aren't really around like that. But to get a guy like Andrew Bynum you've got to, I guess, take that risk. But I don't know what's really occurred after that, if they knew Bynum was unhealthy or not.

"But I think everybody got caught pointing fingers at each other. But once again, there's a lot of things you can't do in Philly, man. You've got to basically come correct. I think me, Jrue, Dre, Lou-Will, we always talk about if they would have kept the team together and stuff like that, how cool it would have been."