By Brandon Apter, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Process has brought the Philadelphia 76ers and their fans some very talented, exciting young talent that should be a force in the Eastern Conference for years to come. Ben Simmons has done a phenomenal job as the point guard in his rookie year, Joel Embiid displayed dominance throughout the season and Dario Saric continues to be key cog on both ends of the floor for the young Sixers in their first playoff appearance in six years.
If you’re like me, it’s also fun to go and see how some former Sixers are performing and there are a slew of them in the 2017-18, including four from Philadelphia’s last playoff appearance six years ago. Let’s take a quick look at how some former Sixers are doing as the first round of the playoffs progresses.
Trevor Booker (Pacers; spent 33 games with Sixers): The Sixers acquired Booker in early December from Brooklyn in exchange for Nik Stauskas and Jahlil Okafor. Although he got consistent minutes off the bench, his style of play didn’t really fit the Sixers needs at the time. Instead, they waived Booker in February and picked up Ersan Ilyasova as a guy who could stretch the floor.
Booker is playing 8.3 minutes per game through the first four postseason games with Indiana, averaging two points and 2.8 rebounds.
Jerami Grant (Thunder; spent 2 seasons with Sixers): Grant was traded to the Thunder two games into his third season with the Sixers in exchange for Ersan Ilyasova, who was later traded to the Hawks in February and then came back to the Sixers after the 2018 trade deadline via buyout. Anyway, Grant was always a fun player to watch. He didn’t have much to offer in terms of perimeter shooting for his size, but was very good on defense and threw down some ferocious slam dunks.
He’s become a strong depth role player for Oklahoma City off the bench. He’s averaging eight points in just over 20 minutes per game for the Thunder, who currently trail Utah 2-1 in their first-round series as of Monday afternoon.
Jrue Holiday (Pelicans; spent 4 seasons with Sixers): Holiday was a member of Sam Hinkie’s first trade in his then new position with the Sixers. On July 12, 2013, Holiday was traded along with Pierre Jackson to the Pelicans for Nerlens Noel and the 2014 first-round pick that ended up being Dario Saric. Noel didn’t end up panning out for the Sixers long-term, but both Saric and Holiday have been excelling, making the trade pretty even nearly five years after the fact.
Injuries hampered Holiday’s first two seasons in New Orleans, but that is well in the past as Jrue has emerged as one of the top point guards in the league and has developed his mid-range game a ton. The Pelicans swept Damien Lillard, CJ McCollum and the Trail Blazers in the first-round and Holiday averaged an impressive 27.8 points on 56.8 percent shooting while also tallying 6.5 assists and 4.0 rebounds. They will likely face the Warriors in round two. That should be an intriguing matchup, especially if Steph Curry remains sidelined.
Andre Iguodala (Warriors; spend 8 seasons with Sixers): Drafted by the Sixers in first round of the 2004 draft, many hoped Iguodala would be the next face of the franchise with Allen Iverson’s time in Philadelphia dwindling. Iggy was often criticized for his lack of offensive firepower as a No. 9 pick, but he was always a defense-first kind of player which made for a love/hate relationship with the city. At that point in time, Philadelphia was looking for its next big time scorer, and Iguodala was not going to be that. Instead, he moved on and became a hell of a role player for Golden State.
Now a two-time NBA Champion, Iguodala is averaging 26 minutes per game off the bench for the Warriors, who currently lead their series with San Antonio 3-1. Primarily relied on for defensive purposes, Iguodala is averaging 7.8 points and six rebounds per game while posting a defensive rating of 97.2, good for 7th among players in the playoffs.
Kyle Korver (Cavaliers; spent 4+ seasons with Sixers): Korver was an immediate fan favorite in Philadelphia, quickly developing into one of the most reliable three-point shooters in the league. Korver shot over 40 percent from beyond in three of his four full seasons with the Sixers before getting traded to Utah for Gordon Giricek (who?!) and a first-round pick that ended up going to Minnesota, who drafted Trevor Booker.
Korver, 37, is still in search of his first ring and remains one of the best three-point shooters in the game. This season, he shot 43.6 percent from beyond, but through four playoff games, he’s shooting under 37 percent on three’s in just over 20 minutes per game. Cleveland is tied with Indiana in their first-round series, 2-2.
Luc Mbah a Moute (Rockets; spent 1 season with Sixers): Mbah a Moute started 61 games in 2014-15 for the Sixers in an 18-win season. While not many will remember his on-the-court performances, he will be most well known for playing a large part in getting Joel Embiid to come to the states. Mbah a Moute’s camp in Cameroon gave Embiid the opportunity to start playing basketball.
After two seasons with the Clippers, the 31-year-old veteran averaged 7.5 points per game in 2017-18 for Houston. He’s currently nursing a shoulder injury and hasn’t played yet for the Rockets in the first round against Minnesota, a series they lead 2-1 heading into Monday night’s game.
JaVale McGee (Warriors; played 6 games with the Sixers): McGee was waived after six games with the Sixers. Philadelphia acquired him and a 2016 first-round pick, which turned into Furkan Korkmaz, for stash prospect Cenk Akyol and cash back in February 2015. He played 34 games for Dallas in 2015-16 before joining Golden State in 2016.
Through four games against the Spurs in the Opening Round, McGee is averaging 9.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in just under 17 minutes per game.
Jason Smith (Wizards; spend 2 seasons with Sixers): Philadelphia acquired Smith from Miami on draft night 2004 and the big man averaged four points and 2.8 rebounds in 132 games with the Sixers. He spent four seasons in New Orleans, one in New York and one in Orlando before joining the Wizards prior to last season.
He averaged under nine minutes per game this season and has appeared in just one of Washington’s four playoff games against Toronto. That series is tied 2-2 as of Monday.
Evan Turner (Trail Blazers; spent 3+ seasons with the Sixers): For being a No. 2 overall pick, many consider Turner to be a bust and it’s warranted. The city of Philadelphia never really embraced the inconsistent Turner, who only averaged 11.5 points across 279 games which included a 31.5 percent mark from beyond the arc. In February 2014, Turner and Lavoy Allen were sent to Indiana for Danny Granger and a 2015 second-round pick. He spent two seasons in Boston before signing a four-year deal with Portland in 2016.
The Blazers got swept in the first-round by New Orleans. Turner averaged 9.3 points on 36.4 percent shooting in three games.
Thaddeus Young (Pacers; spent 7 seasons with the Sixers): Thaddeus Young is one of the guys that many never wanted to see leave, like Lou Williams. His junkyard dog/gritty style of play quickly made him a fan favorite in Philadelphia. You always knew what you were going to get from Thad. At 6’8″, Young had the ability to shoot the mid-range shot and also glide to the basket for smooth finger rolls. He was a 50 percent shooter in seven seasons with Philadelphia and averaged 13.7 points and 5.5 rebounds.
Young was part of a three-team deal with the Sixers, T’Wolves and Cavs in August 2014. This was the trade that sent Kevin Love to Cleveland and Andrew Wiggins was shipped to Minny. Six months later, the Timberwolves dealt Young to Brooklyn for Kevin Garnett. In July 2015, he signed a multi-year deal with Brooklyn, but was traded a year later to Indiana.
The Pacers and Cavs are tied 2-2 in their first-round series and Young is averaging 9.8 points and eight rebounds in 35 minutes per game.
