Intentionally, Philadelphia had one of the worst seasons by a team in NBA history from 2013 to 2016. The 76ers, under the direction of Brett Brown and designed by new general manager Sam Hinkie, elevated “tanking” to a new level.
Putting together some of the worst lineups we’ve seen in the last 20 years of NBA basketball, the 76ers attempted to acquire the best draft picks available and bring some excellent young players into the franchise. Because of “The Process” 76ers, the NBA devised a new lottery odds system prior to this, meaning that having the worst record in the league virtually assured a top-three pick.
Consequently, Philadelphia’s record over a three-year period was 47-199, a victory total that normally would have earned a team a respectable postseason berth in just one season. The NBA’s greatest losing streak (28 games) and worst single-season losing streak (26 games) were both brought on by the “The Process” 76ers during that time.
Let’s look back at the Philadelphia teams that ended up on the wrong side of the record books as the Pistons get closer to each of those milestones.
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The NBA’s longest losing streak in a single season
The 2013–14 76ers tied the post–LeBron James Cavaliers (2010–11) for the worst single-season losing streak in NBA history with their 26-game losing streak. They weren’t nearly as awful as the clubs in the two years that followed.
That season, the 76ers had 23 players in uniform, but three players in particular—Thadddeus Young, Evan Turner, and Michael Carter-Williams—were among the ten who played in at least 50 games.
| Player | GP | GS | PPG |
| Thaddeus Young | 79 | 78 | 17.9 |
| Evan Turner | 54 | 54 | 17.4 |
| Michael Carter-Williams | 70 | 70 | 16.7 |
| Tony Wroten | 72 | 16 | 13.0 |
| Spencer Hawes | 53 | 53 | 13.0 |
| James Anderson | 80 | 62 | 10.1 |
| Hollis Thompson | 77 | 41 | 6.0 |
| Elliot Williams | 67 | 2 | 6.0 |
| Lavoy Allen | 51 | 2 | 5.2 |
Between January 31, 2014, and March 29, 2014, the 76ers were winless for 57 days.
They defeated Detroit by 25 points to finally end their losing streak against the Pistons in Philadelphia. Greg Monroe led the Pistons with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while Young and Carter-Williams each scored 21 points.
After a 19-63 season, the 76ers selected Joel Embiid with the third overall choice in the 2014 NBA Draft.
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the beginning of the NBA’s longest losing run ever
With Embiid missing his whole rookie season because of a foot injury, “The Process” finally got started.
Philadelphia began 2014–15 with a record of 0–17 and finished the season with ten straight losses. That ended up being the beginning of the longest losing run in NBA history overall.
That season, the 76ers had a total of 25 players on their roster, but three players in particular—Carter-Williams, Robert Covington, and Nerlens Noel—were in at least 40 games.
| Player | GP | GS | PPG |
| Michael Carter-Williams | 41 | 38 | 15.0 |
| Robert Covington | 70 | 49 | 13.5 |
| Nerlens Noel | 75 | 71 | 9.9 |
| Luc Mbah a Moute | 67 | 61 | 9.9 |
| K.J. McDaniels | 52 | 15 | 9.2 |
| Hollis Thompson | 71 | 23 | 8.8 |
| Henry Sims | 73 | 32 | 8.0 |
| Jerami Grant | 65 | 11 | 6.3 |
| JaKarr Sampson | 74 | 32 | 5.2 |
| Furkan Aldemir | 41 | 9 | 2.3 |
In at least 20 games for Philadelphia in 2014–15, Wroten, Ish Smith, Isaiah Canaan, Thomas Robinson, and Brandon Davies were among the other players who put in noteworthy minutes.
After finishing 18-64, the 76ers decided to select Jahlil Okafor, another center, with the third overall choice in the 2015 NBA Draft.
The NBA’s greatest losing streak and the pinnacle of “The Process”
Due to a foot ailment, the 76ers were still not prepared to use Embiid, which resulted in the top-three choice missing his first two NBA seasons. This occurred in 2015–16.
Philadelphia then continued where it left off, dropping its first 18 games of the season to record the longest losing streak (28 games) in NBA history.
While the 76ers had 18 players in total that season, three players—Okafor, Smith, and Covington—were among the 13 who played in at least 30 games.
| Player | GP | GS | PPG |
| Jahlil Okafor | 53 | 48 | 17.5 |
| Ish Smith | 50 | 50 | 14.7 |
| Robert Covington | 67 | 49 | 12.8 |
| Nerlens Noel | 67 | 62 | 11.1 |
| Isaiah Canaan | 77 | 39 | 11.0 |
| Hollis Thompson | 77 | 17 | 9.8 |
| Carl Landry | 36 | 12 | 9.8 |
| Jerami Grant | 77 | 52 | 9.7 |
| Nik Stauskas | 73 | 35 | 8.5 |
| T.J. McConnell | 81 | 17 | 6.1 |
| Richaun Holmes | 51 | 1 | 5.6 |
| JaKarr Sampson | 47 | 18 | 5.1 |
| Kendall Marshall | 30 | 6 | 3.7 |
There were 247 days without a win for the 76ers between March 27, 2015, and November 29, 2015.
In Philadelphia, they ultimately ended their losing run against the 2-15 Lakers.With 23 points, Covington took the lead, but five other players—Grant, Noel, Okafor, Canaan, and Thompson—also scored in double figures. Even though Los Angeles’ Kobe Bryant scored 20 points, it wasn’t enough to prevent Philadelphia from suffering another defeat.
The 76ers began the season with a miserable 1-30 record after losing their next 12 games following the victory. Their 10-72 record at the end of the season was among the worst in NBA history.
The payout: Ben Simmons was selected by Philadelphia with the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft.
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