More than anything else, time and patience have been what set this Sixers' project apart from standard NBA procedure. Tanking for the opportunity to draft a star player is timeworn, having seen all sorts of teams bottom out for years as they seek to rebuild rosters that have been maxed. Doing so over a period of several years is what is seen as radical.
It is this lack of a timetable, this detachment from schedule, that has allowed the Sam Hinkie to pursue a top-heavy team that hopes to compete for multiple championships. Only because of Josh Harris's unprecedented patience has Hinkie been free to turn this franchise into a plaything, of sorts.