Whether Sam Hinkie abruptly stepped down as general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers as he did, or slowly see his power erode in time, Bryan Colangelo was always going to become their primary decision-maker. 

If the Brooklyn Nets had hired Colangelo, it would have been Danny Ferry joining the 76ers’ front office. Ownership panicked in December, taking a swift detour in the fan-dubbed “Process,” and hired Jerry Colangelo. The end of Hinkie’s autonomy was set in motion.

Fortunately for the 76ers, Bryan Colangelo has found serious pieces in the draft that have turned into franchise stars. The 76ers have nothing right now if not draft picks to be made.

While with the Suns, Colangelo drafted Shawn Marion and Amar’e Stoudemire, traded for Joe Johnson and had the foresight to hit the reset button by trading away Stephon Marbury to create the cap space to sign Steve Nash. 

Colangelo formulated an exciting and effective core that would usher in the “Seven Seconds or Less” offensive approach. With Mike D’Antoni leading the best offense in the NBA, Colangelo revitalized the small market Suns. D’Antoni was hired as an assistant coach with the 76ers shortly after Jerry Colangelo arrived.

Colangelo left Phoenix to become general manager of the Raptors in 2006 and his first major decision was to select Andrea Bargnani with the first overall pick. This was a weak draft without a clear consensus top pick, but the Bargnani selection still haunts Colangelo.

Colangelo takes risk in the draft, not settling on picking players simply for fit. Colangelo may very well refrain from following Hinkie’s blueprint of taking the “Best Player Available” and target low-upside/high-floor seniors with every pick, but he is far from predictable. 

Hinkie was noted as being hard to gauge as a talent evaluator and few knew what direction the Sixers were heading with their initial first-round picks. Colangelo exceeds that notion, albeit he might not be as secretive and secluded as the man he’s succeeding.

With Chris Bosh and a competent Bargnani already in the frontcourt, he traded the No. 17 pick in 2008 for an aging Jermaine O’Neal. He correctly targeted upside with his 2009 first-round pick, as DeMar DeRozan has progressed into a max contract All-Star. 

With his final three first-round picks, Colangelo opted to return to the well of high-ceiling talent (Ed Davis, Jonas Valanciunas, Terrence Ross). 

Hinkie has gifted Colangelo with valuable draft selections and options to initiate a Sixers’ progression in the Eastern Conference. Philadelphia has nearly a 66 percent chance of landing in the top three picks in 2016, factoring in a possible Sacramento swap that was obtained in the Nik Stauskas deal, and a 44.2 percent chance of having the Lakers’ high first-round pick convey this year. 

Add in both the Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder first-round picks in the upcoming draft and Colangelo has the assets to manifest a quick turnaround. He also could decide to package the Sixers’ bevy of first-round picks for an established star in the league, but Colangelo has been suspect when attracted to the quick fix. Colangelo has perhaps too readily given up future first round picks during both of his previous tenures. 

With the abundance of draft picks and young talent, an asset-loaded package for a league average starter as he did in the past for Rudy Gay, Antonio McDyess or Hedo Turkoglu, would be catastrophically shortsighted.

The deals have to be calculated and result in accumulating high-end starters that Brett Brown can effectively pair with the leftover young core. Free agency is a sanctuary of additional talent that can amplify a roster though the 76ers are unlikely to be in a position to attract a true top end player at this point in their rebuild.

With the second-most cap room in the NBA heading into the 2016 offseason, shelving salary to porous fits could hinder the Sixers’ championship window. 

Colangelo found desirable role players in free agency in 2006 (Anthony Parker, Fred Jones), en route to winning the 2007 Executive of the Year award with the Raptors surprisingly winning the Atlantic Division. 

Colangelo, 50, needs to start off the 2016 offseason with intelligent draft selections that results in an improved record. Finding a young star via the draft would change the course of this rebuild and paint Colangelo in a more positive light.

He’s received substantial backlash, due to previous decisions, but has been rewarded with a fresh start with Philadelphia. This is an opportunity with optionality that any general manager would covet. Now, it’s how Colangelo utilizes that optionality, laid by Sam Hinkie, which will illustrate the direction the Sixers are heading.