Daryl Morey, not Doc Rivers, James Harden, or Joel Embiid, has the most to prove in the Sixers’ NBA playoffs

In the excited buzz on the Wells Fargo Center floor just minutes before the Sixers began their 2023 playoff run, I asked a longtime NBA source:

Who among the Sixers’ principals had to most to prove in the coming weeks?

James Harden, who can opt out of his contract? Joel Embiid, who might want a trade? Doc Rivers, who needs to take this team past the second round? Tobias Harris, overpaid? Tyrese Maxey, underdeveloped?

He looked at me a little sideways.

“Daryl Morey,” he replied. “Not even close.”

He’s right.

Over the next month or so, we’ll learn more about Morey than about any of his minions.

Morey just finished his third regular season as the Sixers’ president, but this is the first time he’s been given a fair chance to prove his worth. The first season didn’t really count; he was hired in November of 2020, and he inherited a coach, a roster headed by two incomplete superstars, and an eclectic front-office staff. Ben Simmons ruined the second season.

It’s been 2 1/2 years. He’s had a chance to change everything, and he made lots of changes all over the company’s masthead. Finally, whatever the outcome of the 76ers’ 2023 playoffs, it will fall at the feet of their $10 million-a-year decision-maker.

The next few weeks are a referendum on Morey, the NBA’s analytics pioneer. Analytics work, but only if the assets are properly arranged. Morey might be the Billy Beane of basketball, but remember, Moneyball never won Beane a World Series for Oakland.

Can Morey-ball win a title for Philly?

As much as critics might target the shortcomings of Rivers, who has overseen a series of postseason calamities, Rivers did win a title with the 2008 Celtics. He then returned to the NBA Finals two years later.

Morey’s teams in Houston and Philly have never even made it past the conference finals. If their careers ended today, Rivers would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Morey might visit.

It’s not that Morey has been a failure. When the Sixers tipped off against the Nets on Saturday afternoon it marked the 12th time in his 16 seasons at the head of a franchise that his club participated in a postseason. He is a darling of the NBA media corps, partly because of his blithe and pleasant manner, and partly because of his daring, like the small-ball episode during his last days in Houston. But, to this point, Morey’s legacy has more to do with innovation than with achievement.

He’s 50. This is his second stop. Just as it granted Morey acolyte Sam Hinkie total power in 2013, Sixers ownership gave him absolute authority the moment he landed.

What has he done with it?

» READ MORE: Sixers-Nets Game 1 takeaways: Playoff P.J., B-Balling Paul Reed, Brooklyn’s defensive woes

The Process: Everything starts with Embiid, so we will, too. Through three trade deadlines and two offseasons, Morey has chosen to retain Embiid, but that was a no-brainer: Embiid has been the NBA’s best player all three seasons.

Doc: Morey arrived in Philly a month after Rivers. He didn’t hire him. After the 2021 second-round collapse against the Hawks, Morey could have fired Rivers. After the 2022 second-round drubbing at the hands of the Heat, Morey could have fired Rivers. To review: Morey declined to fire Rivers twice. So, if you have a problem with Rivers’ postseason shortcomings, don’t blame Doc. Blame Daryl.

Ben: Morey always knew Ben Simmons was a liability. That’s why, as soon as he hit Philly, Morey tried to trade Simmons for Harden, Morey’s favorite player ever, when Harden was still back in Houston in 2021. The trade never materialized but the rumors served to sour Simmons on Morey and the Sixers. After Simmons refused to dunk in Sixers’ Game 7 loss to Atlanta in the Eastern Conference semifinal of 2021, Simmons’ time in Philly was done. He never played another game for them. Near the 2022 trade deadline, Morey finally got his man.

The Beard: When Morey traded Simmons to the Nets for Harden, Morey knew that Harden was damaged goods. He knew that it wasn’t likely that the 76ers instantly would transform into a realistic Finals favorite. When he re-signed a healthy Harden last offseason, Morey found himself in a position to build a complementary roster around Harden and Embiid that would spend an entire season finding its footing.

Tobias Harris: The most durable, consistent, and accommodating player on the roster since he arrived in 2019, Morey has retained Harris around through three deadlines and two offseasons despite Harris’ inability to play up to his contract, which pays him $37.6 million this season. The contract predated Morey’s arrival, but he’s decided to live with it. If Harris doesn’t excel this postseason, Morey’s decision to keep him will look bad.

» READ MORE: Trust (from) The Process: Joel Embiid finally trusts his teammates so the Sixers can reach the NBA Finals

Tyrese Maxey: Morey called him “untouchable” last season, but then, Morey never met a defensive liability he didn’t like. Maxey played off the bench for part of this season, a move Rivers said was Maxey’s call ... but, when asked about it, Maxey made it sound like it was not his idea. Either way, whatever Maxey becomes, it will reflect on Morey.

P.J. Tucker: Like Harden, Tucker played for Morey in Houston. Like Harden, Tucker was better (and much younger) when he played for Morey in Houston. Unlike Harden, but like Simmons, Tucker doesn’t score much. Like Simmons, Tucker is a defensive genius and a superb rebounder. Morey believed the Sixers couldn’t win with Simmons’ limitations. He believes they can win with Tucker. Stay tuned.

De’Anthony Melton: This is the sort of move that makes Morey look like a genius. On draft night, he sent Danny Green and the 23rd overall pick to Memphis for Melton, a swing guard who can defend three positions, score as a slasher or a bomber, and do so either as a starter or a bench player. Nets star Mikal Bridges scored 23 points in the first half Saturday. Melton smothered him for much of the second half, and Bridges managed just seven more points and the Sixers won by 20.

If every player fills his role as well as Melton did Saturday, Morey-ball has a chance of finally succeeding in Philly.