Well that was fun while it lasted.

The Philadelphia 76ers finally appeared to be taking steps forward instead of backward, largely thanks to the arrival of big man Joel Embiid, aka “The Process.” After missing the first two seasons of his NBA career, Embiid opened eyes in the first four months of the season with a combination of size, skill and athleticism rarely seen.

But it appears that might be the last we see of him for this season. Embiid is now out indefinitely with swelling in his knee, and will have an MRI on Monday.

Embiid has missed the last 13 games for the Sixers with a contusion and minor meniscus tear in his left knee, but the most recent reports said he was targeting March 3 for a return. It now appears that’s out of the picture and, given the Sixers history, shutting him down for the season is definitely in play.

The team already announced that Ben Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft, will miss the entire season, and you better believe that they’re going to keep Embiid out until he’s absolutely 100 percent healthy -- which may not be until next season.

This has to be frustrating for Philly fans, who have struggled through years and years of horrible records only to see a glimmer of hope this season with Embiid, the front-runner for Rookie of the Year. Two months ago there was even some talk that the Sixers might make a run at the eighth spot in the playoffs, assuming that Simmons would be rejoining the team.

But now that talk is over, and the Sixers are back to being the Sixers. After dealing Nerlens Noel at the trade deadline the rest of the season looks pretty bleak, but as we know the Philly front office doesn’t really have a problem with that. There’s no reason to rush Embiid or Simmons when the pair could end up being one of the most dominant duos in the NBA in a matter of years.

The Sixers are currently 22-36, which is the fifth-worst record in the league. With teams ahead of them like the Kings, Mavericks and Knicks, it might be in Philadelphia’s best interest to lose as many games as possible to maintain a high pick in this year’s draft, which is deep with talent.

For now Philly fans will just have to continue to be patient and, yes ... trust the process.