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ESPN The Magazine, Which Ranked the Phillies Dead Last in Their Use of Analytics, Ranked the Sixers First
By Jim Adair
Published:
In the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine — actually on newsstands now — ESPN ranked every professional sports team based on how much their approach is “predicated on analytics.” We already told you that the Phillies were dead last at 122, but we got the magazine today, and the Sixers finished first.
In the short paragraph that accompanies the ranking, it reads:
When Philly hired Sam Hinkie in May 2013, the team became a test case for the GM’s plan: dump overvalued mediocrity, lose (a lot) with cheap role players and load up on picks. With five staffers devoted to picking apart the CBA, mining player health and minting theories on roster construction, Hinkie has topped his former boss, Rockets GM Daryl Morey, as the NBA’s most ardent analytic master. “He has a vision,” says Sixers forward Robert Covington. “We’re going to turn this around.”
And that was all written before yesterday’s deals.
Only the top ten and bottom ten are ranked by-number, but the middle teams were all throw into categories. The Flyers are under the “One Foot In” category, while the Eagles are named “Believers.” Cool?
When he's not writing about sports here or ranting about them on Twitter, Jim is probably watching X-Files on Netflix or drinking a beer somewhere. Jim has nothing against hockey, it's just not his style. He once met Duce Staley at a Sixers game.