Sam Hinkie, the GM of the 76ers, worked the soil in Philadelphia for three seasons. In 2016 he resigned and was replaced by Bryan Colangelo, who is on the verge of reaping the harvest.

Many suspected that Colangelo, as president of the 76ers, would instantly spend the cap space that had been saved so meticulously by Hinkie, and turn the long-term investment into a quick gain on behalf of a franchise that hasn’t had a winning 82-game season in a dozen years. “We decided to take a slow approach, not jump out Day One and do something crazy,” Colangelo said. “The one thing that we were very cautious about was not disrupting what I would call a very solid plan.”

Colangelo watched as center Joel Embiid made his debut after being shelved by injuries for two seasons. Though Embiid missed 51 games last season, his 20.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game through January hinted at the star he may become.

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“He’s the closest thing we have right now to being that franchise-level player,” Colangelo said of Embiid. “If health prevails, he brings so much to the organization, not only on the court but off the court as well. He’s the full package -- he’s marketable, he’s popular, he knows how to connect with fans of all ages. But what he does as a leader on this basketball team starts with his work ethic, his determination, what he’s overcome, which is a testament to who he is and how strong-minded he is. His incredible talent and his ability to apply that talent with such little experience is amazing.”

Take a look back at Joel Embiid's standout rookie season with the 76ers.

While the 76ers were opening their 125,000-square-foot Training Complex last year, Colangelo was filling out his analytics and operations departments and making improvements of all kinds. “We hired a chef from a really popular restaurant in Philly who runs his own health program,” said Colangelo of the meals that are served to players at their new facility.

He was building upon the foundation he inherited, as opposed to tearing it down and starting all over again. Along the way, coach Brett Brown was continuing to develop his players by a realistic schedule, based on the long-term goal of the ultimate payoff. Eighteen seasons in charge of the Phoenix Suns and Toronto Raptors and a pair of Executive of the Year awards had taught Colangelo, 52, what to do -- and what not to do.

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“We talked to Danny a lot over the last year,” said Colangelo of Celtics’ president Danny Ainge. “And if it wasn’t Danny, it was (assistant GM) Mike Zarren, who is one of those guys you really like. It’s easy to talk deals with him, throw ideas out. There’s not enough of that in the league these days.”

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Following the results of the draft lottery last May, Colangelo’s first thought had been to acquire the No. 2 pick from the Lakers. Then the better opportunity emerged: The Sixers were able to trade up with Boston to No. 1 by surrendering their own No. 3 pick as well as either the potential lottery pick of the Lakers in 2018 (which will be sent to Boston only if it’s in the window of Nos. 2-5) or else the No. 1 pick in 2019 of the Kings or 76ers, whichever is more favorable (so long as it isn’t No. 1).

Philadelphia came out of the recent Draft with a new rookie backcourt made of up Nos. 1 picks -- Markelle Fultz as the 6-foot-4 point guard and Ben Simmons as the freakish 6-foot-10 shooting guard who, like Embiid, had been sidelined for his rookie season (in 2016-17). Their potential is augmented by a trio of lottery picks in 23-year-old forward Dario Saric (12.8 ppg as a rookie), 23-year-old improving guard Nik Stauskas (9.5 ppg) and 21-year old backup center Jahlil Okafor, the No. 3 pick in 2015.

Markelle Fultz says he will fit in well with the Sixers' young core of talent.

Colangelo then spent some of Hinkie’s cap space – in the short term. He filled out the roster by paying $34 million in single-year deals for shooting guard J.J. Redick ($23 million) and big man Amir Johnson ($11 million).