“Heat Check” is finally back! This time for good, as this will be a weekly column talking about the best in the NBA, and the occasional college basketball post. I’ll keep regular power rankings of the top teams in the Association, but I do want to have a keen eye on some of the more interesting developments during the year.

Which brings me to a grassroots movement from the City of Brotherly Love. Yes, the Philadelphia 76ers are finally becoming relevant after three long years of doing everything possible to put together the worst possible roster. A more simple term for this is “tanking,” but no matter what you call it, the Sixers became the laughingstock of the league for trying to lose in the short term to win in the long term.

Last night’s 94-89 victory over the Toronto Raptors was the first fruit in a three year stretch marked by attrition and cautiously optimistic patience. It was the first signature win for those that have learned to “Trust the Process.” That mantra is the only thing that Sixers fans have had to bring them solace following three years of tanking. Hearing that mantra chanted over and over as Joel Embiid securing a win for Philly over Toronto, you could feel that things are starting to change for the Sixers. If you were in the building, you couldn’t help but get wrapped up in the growing confidence of this young team that is evolving right before your eyes.

When former general manager Sam Hinkie started what would now become known as “The Process,” no one really knew what to expect. A draft night trade three and a half years ago kickstarted the rebuild, and sent a clear message to the fans. No more mediocrity. Hinkie realized that in the NBA, toiling away in the middle of the pack is never going to bring you a championship. You needed to put together a core of All-Star caliber players and free agency isn’t a surefire way of getting it done (Knicks fans can certainly agree there). Analytically, he surmised that the best way to get those elite-level talents was to tear down the roster and build through the draft. Hinkie decided to play the odds and use the Draft Lottery to acquire those top talents.

That meant a great deal of patience would be required from the ownership group. It also meant Philadelphia fans couldn’t call for the jobs of the men in charge for once in the storied history of the sporting city. Hinkie and his hand picked coach Brett Brown were going to need time to, literally, build a winner.

So trading away 23-year old point guard Jrue Holiday, who was coming off of his first All-Star season, for a 19-year old center recovering from a torn ACL signaled that this was a long-term rebuild. Nerlens Noel was that first piece of “The Process,” but also set a precedent for the type of player that the Sixers were willing to go after, especially when they didn’t have the top pick in the draft. Philadelphia was willing to wait for an elite level talent to get healthy, or finally get to the league.

That precedent would net the Sixers two franchise cornerstones following a 19-63 season in 2013-14. Philadelphia used the third pick to select center Joel Embiid out of Kansas, who was recovering from a stress fracture in his back. Then the Sixers would make a trade with Orlando to acquire the rights to a Croatian forward playing in Turkey, named Dario Saric. Two years, a multitude of roster moves, a 13-page resignation letter, and a regime change went by before Philadelphia would see either of these two suit up.

Boy, was it worth the wait. Embiid is going to be the, possibly unanimous, Rookie of the Year, and quickly becoming a superstar before everyone’s eyes (more on him a little later). Saric came to the US with a Euroleague Rookie of the Year and MVP already in his trophy case, but was still an unknown similar to his draft mate Embiid. He is flashing a toughness and skill that will make him a valuable piece to the championship team that Bryan Colangelo is now tasked to put together from the Hinkie puzzle pieces.

The rock that Colangelo will build that team on though is Embiid. He is a human highlight reel on both ends of the floor. He is an elite talent on the offensive and defensive ends of the floor with ridiculous athleticism for someone of his size. The 7’2” center is capable of handling the ball like a guard and has the shooting range of a small forward. Oh, he can still bang in the blocks like a traditional big man too.

Sixers’ defensive rating w/ Embiid = No. 1 in NBA.
Sixers’ defensive rating w/o Embiid = No. 25 in NBA. pic.twitter.com/v6p8HHr5ss

— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) January 19, 2017

Embiid is the physical embodiment of “The Process,” which has now become his nickname. Philly is still bringing him along by methodically limiting his minutes. The back issue from college healed, but a fracture in his foot is the real concern. The Sixers want “JoJo” to be the next Hakeem Olajuwan, and not the next Sam Bowie or Greg Oden.

So far so good for Embiid in his long awaited rookie season. Embiid’s 19.9 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.8 SPG, and 2.4 BPG are comparable to the rookie numbers of the Hall of Famer Olajuwan. “The Dream” has even taken notice of the tour-de-force that Embiid is becoming in the league. The craziest thing about these numbers for the rookie sensation is that he is only averaging 25 minutes per game and doesn’t play in both games during back-to-backs.

The run that Embiid has put together during his last ten games is historic. He is the first player in NBA history to have ten consecutive games of 20+ points while playing less than 30 minutes per game. Embiid is also the first Sixers rookie to have 20+ points in ten consecutive games since Allen Iverson (which was an eleven game streak). “The Process” is even working on a streak of ten games with 20+ points, 5+ rebounds, and 1+ blocks as a rookie. The only players who have longer streaks during their rookie campaigns were Patrick Ewing and Tim Duncan, who both notched twelve games in a row with those numbers.

That is some serious company that Embiid has found himself in during the best stretch of games for Philadelphia since well before “Trust the Process” became a thing. There is hope in Philadelphia for the first time in a long while, and the long-term outlook is even more plentiful. Ben Simmons, the top pick in last year’s draft, hasn’t even suited up yet due to a foot fracture he suffered during the final practice of training camp. Simmons has drawn comparisons to a young Lebron James and was the coveted talent that the Sixers have fawned for over the past three years. That was before they knew what they had in Embiid. So now that empty cupboard of three years ago is looking packed to the gills with talent. It doesn’t stop there either.

Philadelphia has a top-three protected pick from the Lakers that could finally be coming its way this season. In addition, should Embiid lead the Sixers into the playoffs like he believes he can, the team has the right to swap first round picks with Sacramento in the draft (the final move of the Hinkie era). The 2017 draft is being talked about as one of the best in over a decade, and Philadelphia has the opportunity to have two lottery picks.

Trusting the process has certainly paid dividends after years of toiling away in the bottom of the NBA by design. After last night, the trust Sixers fans have put in this franchise during this rebuild turned into a belief that this team is building towards a championship down the road. It is a dream that is starting to take shape into a reality.

Power Rankings for 1/19/17

 (1) Golden State Warriors (36-6)

No surprises here, Golden State continues its regular season dominance of the NBA even with its upgraded roster. Kevin Durant dropped 40 points in last night’s drubbing of Oklahoma City, which was arguably his best game as a Warrior. After blowing out Cleveland on Monday night, the Warriors now can focus on securing the top seed in the West after the All-Star break. They currently hold a three and a half game cushion on San Antonio. Golden State won’t be breaking its wins record this season but things are starting to gel for the offensive juggernaut from the bay area.

(2) San Antonio Spurs (32-9)

The biggest threat to Golden State isn’t the Cleveland Cavaliers; it’s the team that could prevent them from meeting the Cavs for a NBA Finals rubber match. Quiet as usual, the Spurs have the second-best record in the NBA in the first year of the post-Duncan era. Kawhi Leonard is now the leader of this ball club and his improvement in his offensive game has been a pleasant surprise. Everyone already knows about the defensive prowess of “The Claw,” but now with his offensive skill set catching up he could develop into one of the best “closers” in the NBA.

(3) Cleveland Cavaliers (29-11)

Coming in at the third spot in my midseason rankings are the defending NBA champions. They are going through its usual midseason swoon right now (6-4 in the last ten games), but that is to be expected at this point with the Cavs. It takes Cleveland time to find its postseason form, and the recent acquisition of sharpshooter Kyle Korver is another variable to work into the makeup of this team. They are still the best team in the East and find themselves in a good position to defend the NBA championship in June.

(4) Houston Rockets (33-12)

Easily the surprise of the season has been the vast improvement of the Rockets under coach Mike D’Antoni. James Harden is making a strong case to win his first MVP award, which has been due to his improvement as a point guard on both ends. Defensively, he will have some issues here and there, but he is far from the liability he had been in recent years. Outside of Russell Westbrook, there may be no one playing better on the offensive end than Harden. “The Beard” has accounted (scored or assisted) for 50% of Houston’s points this season, which would be an NBA record should that number hold by season’s end.

(5) Toronto Raptors (28-14)

 The combination of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are one of the best backcourt duos in the league. They have Toronto sitting as the second-best team in the East and two games behind Cleveland. Lowry and DeRozan are a large part of how the Raptors are currently the top scoring team in the East, and third in the league (111.0 PPG). Last night’s loss to Philadelphia will hurt its national credibility but it was only the first loss to an Atlantic Division opponent all season. However, there is still a sizable gap between them and Cleveland once playoff time rolls around.

That’s it for me today. I’ll be back tomorrow with “No Huddle” to break down the conference championship games and give my picks for the weekend. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.