Sixers

The Sixers Hired an Analytics Guy Nicknamed “Wiz”

By Kyle Scott

Published: Sep 26th, 2014 · 2:55 PM EDT

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F-ing Hinkie does it again! There are absolutely three ways to go with this post:

1) Slightly douchey: Wiz Khalifa

2) Fairly corny: Wiz wit

3) Just perfect: Nobody Beats the Wiz

According to Erik Gundersen, a Blazers blogger, the Sixers have hired Blazers statistical guru Ben Falk to be their VP of basketball strategy. That’s a great title, but not nearly as great as Falk’s nickname. As part of a long feature on the Blazers in ESPN The Magazine in 2013, it was revealed that Falk, then the Blazers’ basketball analytics manager, was lovingly called Wiz by his peers because, well, nerd. He’s considered one of the top analytics guys in basketball and is only in his mid-20s.

And to get a little glimpse inside Wiz’s mind, here’s a Powerpoint deck he prepared called How the Portland Trail Blazers are using analytics to drive strategy. His third slide features a picture of Brad Pitt in Moneyball. He also mentions the Catapult sports science monitors that Chip Kelly and the Eagles, and Flyers use. Hop over the jump to step inside the head of the Wiz!

via (@EliotShorrParks)

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