Why Sean Marks is the new Sam Hinkie
Why Sean Marks is the new Sam Hinkie
Written by Nick Agar-Johnson (@NBAJohnson) on 25 February 2018
Written by Nick Agar-Johnson
(@NBAJohnson) on 25 February 2018
On the surface, Sean Marks and Sam Hinkie have approached team-building in very different ways. However, Marks' focus on searching for undervalued assets to build Brooklyn's roster make him more similar to Hinkie than any other current NBA general manager.
On the surface, Sean Marks and Sam Hinkie have approached team-building in very different ways. However, Marks' focus on searching for undervalued assets to build Brooklyn's roster make him more similar to Hinkie than any other current NBA general manager.
When Sam Hinkie drafted Jahlil Okafor with the third overall pick in 2015, he was simply following through on his philosophy of drafting the best player available. Okafor was at times considered the best player in the draft after a stellar freshman season at Duke, so Hinkie pounced when the Lakers chose D'Angelo Russell over the big man.
When Sean Marks acquired Jahlil Okafor in a trade, he took a chance on a player at what appeared to be the nadir of his value. Oddly enough, Marks had already acquired D'Angelo Russell in a similar deal for a player whose value had never been lower.
On the surface, Hinkie's famous Process looks like the opposite of Marks' strategy. The 76ers made themselves as bad as possible to increase their odds of getting a top draft pick and a chance at a superstar--something the pick-strapped Nets cannot do.
However, the ultimate goal of the Process was in the same spirit as what Sean Marks is trying to do with the Nets. Robert Covington is part of the Process just like Joel Embiid, even if they were acquired in very different ways. While Sean Marks has not yet had a chance at a Top 3 pick, his strategy of churning the bottom of the roster and taking chances on players who had fallen out of favor with their previous teams is as close to Hinkie's plan for the Sixers as any other roster-building situation in the NBA.
Finding Star Talent
Sam Hinkie had a relatively easy path to star talent. While the 76ers were bereft of talented players in the wake of the disastrous Andrew Bynum trade, they at least had all of their own picks. Hinkie wisely opted to tear the team down in hopes of getting a superstar with a top pick. He was forced out before the Sixers drafted Ben Simmons, but he did take a chance on Joel Embiid that looks like a spectacular success.
Sean Marks did not have as simple of a path to acquiring superstar talent. However, he did have one asset that he has taken full advantage of: cap space. Marks doled out massive deals to Otto Porter, Allen Crabbe, and Tyler Johnson. When he failed to get all three of them (at least the first time around), he found another way to gamble with that cap space. Marks took on Timofey Mozgov's abomination of a contract, and in return, he netted D'Angelo Russell just two years after he was the #2 overall pick. Sean Marks might not have had the same opportunity to fight his way to the bottom for a top pick--the Nets' last-place record last season did not help them in the draft. However, Marks took a very Hinkie-esque gamble in getting Russell. Like Hinkie, Marks knows that superstar talent matters more than anything else. Any decent chance at that kind of player is worth the risk, and Marks pounced when that chance appeared.
Hidden Treasure
Sam Hinkie took chances on as many players as possible with the roster spots he had available. Some of those gambles (Robert Covington, T.J. McConnell) have worked out brilliantly. Others (K.J. McDaniels, Hollis Thompson) have not worked as well. Still, this hidden part of the Process strategy was still a key part of the Hinkie philosophy. Instead of signing mediocre players to fill out the last few spots on the bench, Hinkie bet on unproven players. The failures would only help the team tank to the bottom of the standings, and the successes would be nothing but pure upside plays.
Sean Marks has not been as aggressively devoted to churning the bottom spots on the roster as Hinkie. However, he has opted to take chances on players over signing players with a history of mediocrity. Marks' gamble on Okafor (who ironically has effectively filled both of the main Process-related roles in his three years) appears to have failed. Same with K.J. McDaniels, a gamble taken by both Hinkie and Marks. Joe Harris, on the other hand, looks like a Covington-esquire success.
The point of the Process, despite the cries of its detractors, was never just about making the 76ers as bad as possible. Instead, Hinkie did everything he could to maximize his team's success in the light of their minimal assets. Even though the Brooklyn Nets on the surface seem to have been a completely different situation when he arrived, Sean Marks has ultimately been faced with the same problem: take a team in a terrible situation, and do everything possible to right the ship. Nets fans have not been told to Trust the Process, but their own team's process is closer to Philadelphia's spiritual successor than that of any other NBA team.
When Sam Hinkie drafted Jahlil Okafor with the third overall pick in 2015, he was simply following through on his philosophy of drafting the best player available. Okafor was at times considered the best player in the draft after a stellar freshman season at Duke, so Hinkie pounced when the Lakers chose D'Angelo Russell over the big man.
When Sean Marks acquired Jahlil Okafor in a trade, he took a chance on a player at what appeared to be the nadir of his value. Oddly enough, Marks had already acquired D'Angelo Russell in a similar deal for a player whose value had never been lower.
On the surface, Hinkie's famous Process looks like the opposite of Marks' strategy. The 76ers made themselves as bad as possible to increase their odds of getting a top draft pick and a chance at a superstar--something the pick-strapped Nets cannot do.
However, the ultimate goal of the Process was in the same spirit as what Sean Marks is trying to do with the Nets. Robert Covington is part of the Process just like Joel Embiid, even if they were acquired in very different ways. While Sean Marks has not yet had a chance at a Top 3 pick, his strategy of churning the bottom of the roster and taking chances on players who had fallen out of favor with their previous teams is as close to Hinkie's plan for the Sixers as any other roster-building situation in the NBA.
Finding Star Talent
Sam Hinkie had a relatively easy path to star talent. While the 76ers were bereft of talented players in the wake of the disastrous Andrew Bynum trade, they at least had all of their own picks. Hinkie wisely opted to tear the team down in hopes of getting a superstar with a top pick. He was forced out before the Sixers drafted Ben Simmons, but he did take a chance on Joel Embiid that looks like a spectacular success.
Sean Marks did not have as simple of a path to acquiring superstar talent. However, he did have one asset that he has taken full advantage of: cap space. Marks doled out massive deals to Otto Porter, Allen Crabbe, and Tyler Johnson. When he failed to get all three of them (at least the first time around), he found another way to gamble with that cap space. Marks took on Timofey Mozgov's abomination of a contract, and in return, he netted D'Angelo Russell just two years after he was the #2 overall pick. Sean Marks might not have had the same opportunity to fight his way to the bottom for a top pick--the Nets' last-place record last season did not help them in the draft. However, Marks took a very Hinkie-esque gamble in getting Russell. Like Hinkie, Marks knows that superstar talent matters more than anything else. Any decent chance at that kind of player is worth the risk, and Marks pounced when that chance appeared.
Hidden Treasure
Sam Hinkie took chances on as many players as possible with the roster spots he had available. Some of those gambles (Robert Covington, T.J. McConnell) have worked out brilliantly. Others (K.J. McDaniels, Hollis Thompson) have not worked as well. Still, this hidden part of the Process strategy was still a key part of the Hinkie philosophy. Instead of signing mediocre players to fill out the last few spots on the bench, Hinkie bet on unproven players. The failures would only help the team tank to the bottom of the standings, and the successes would be nothing but pure upside plays.
Sean Marks has not been as aggressively devoted to churning the bottom spots on the roster as Hinkie. However, he has opted to take chances on players over signing players with a history of mediocrity. Marks' gamble on Okafor (who ironically has effectively filled both of the main Process-related roles in his three years) appears to have failed. Same with K.J. McDaniels, a gamble taken by both Hinkie and Marks. Joe Harris, on the other hand, looks like a Covington-esquire success.
The point of the Process, despite the cries of its detractors, was never just about making the 76ers as bad as possible. Instead, Hinkie did everything he could to maximize his team's success in the light of their minimal assets. Even though the Brooklyn Nets on the surface seem to have been a completely different situation when he arrived, Sean Marks has ultimately been faced with the same problem: take a team in a terrible situation, and do everything possible to right the ship. Nets fans have not been told to Trust the Process, but their own team's process is closer to Philadelphia's spiritual successor than that of any other NBA team.