The Philadelphia 76ers Could Have Followed 'Moneyball'

The Philadelphia 76ers could have been the NBA’s version of Billy Beane’s “Moneyball” philosophy.

Oakland Athletics general manager Billy Beane faced a dillema following the team’s 2001 ALDS loss to the juggernaut New York Yankees. Offensive stars Jason Giambi and Johnny Damon tested the free agent market, clamoring for a hefty contract after being two main sources of production for the offense. As a smaller market, Oakland was hesitant, and unable, to match the offers Giambi and Damon received from the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, respectively.

Instead of trying to match both Giambi’s absurd 38 HR and 121 RBI and Damon’s speed (27 steals), he took an avenue foreign to most organizations. Beane focused less on production and more on finding ways to score runs. In addition, Beane’s moves were heavily scrutinized, with questioning from around the organization and the media.

Sound familiar?

The stats he favored were on base percentage, walks, and putting the ball in play rather than striking out. It’s a far cry from today’s MLB game, where strikeouts are a more common theme. His additions were fostered from the notion of bringing in talent teams passed over. First baseman Scott Hatteberg, a former catcher, led the team with a .374 OBP at age 32.

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Beane added submarine specialist Chad Bradford, who in 75 games, was an effective bridge as a setup man. At first, his moves were questioned. Throughout the season, the reasoning became more clear. Oakland won the AL West in 2002 with a 103-59 record but Beane’s intuitiveness and mold-breaking strategy was only part of Oakland’s dominance.

The A’s arguably had on of the league’s top pitching trios in the 21st century in Barry Zito, Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder. They combined for 57 of the team’s 103 wins and were bolstered by the offensive output from shortstop Miguel Tejada and third baseman Eric Chavez.

Oakland had what the Philadelphia 76ers lack currently; talent. Both in the pitching department and on offense, the A’s were a powerhouse that year. Moneyball mainly documented Beane’s attempt to find under-the-radar players that fit his system, but left out the fact that he wasn’t submerged by fielding a roster that lacked talent.

Philadelphia’s path to acquiring possible stars has been solely through the draft since 2013, when Hinkie took over as GM. The triumvirate of centers (Nerlens Noel, Joel Embiid, Jahlil Okafor), Dario Saric, Ish Smith and possibly Jerami Grant make up the talent who could be long-term pieces for the Sixers. Richaun Holmes has been a revelation in limited minutes his rookie year (6.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 58.5 percent shooting), but could be devoid of an opportunity if/when Embiid and Saric join the team next season.

For the rookie from Bowling Green State, it’s about evolving his game over worrying about opportunities, per The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Cooney.

"“Development is extremely important,” said Holmes. “They invest a lot of time in the players here and try to get us better and make us longtime NBA players. I just have to continue to have the mindset of working hard every day in every situation and try to get better. We work on a lot of things, from shooting to putting the ball on the floor more and post moves. We work on every aspect of the game to make me a complete NBA player.”"

Hinkie, arguably, both nailed the Holmes and Grant selections, who went No. 37 and No. 40, respectively, in the second-round of previous drafts. How his rebuild pertains to Moneyball is based on finding gems also within the free agent market.

The professional basketball level resides all across the world, with leagues in over 60 countries. However, the opportunity is limited, with young projects coming to America via overseas through the NBA draft. Seldom anymore do NBA teams give extensive contracts to big-name European or Asian league talents, as the world’s toughest league is too much for some of the best players overseas.

Philadelphia did bring over Turkish forward Furkan Aldemir, but a forgettable stint in the pros left little impact on the roster. Hinkie’s also tried to use the D-League to unearth gems, but has flopped repeatedly. Robert Covington, the 2013-14 D-League M.V.P., looked to be a steal last season, but is mired in a shooting slump that has him sliding, far from smoothly, down the depth chart.

On the surface, he’s averaging 11.9 PPG, 4.5 RPG and 1.5 SPG in his career, but brought in to be a floor spacer, he’s shooting far away from the paint with little accuracy on his jumper. Sporting a .369/.315 clip as a shooter doesn’t emit the “deadeye” vibe.

What’s apparent is that there’s no common theme in Hinkie’s signings. The 76ers aren’t adding shooters that are noted to excel in certain areas. Covington only shot 37.0 percent from three when he won the D-League M.V.P. in the 2013-14 season. He managed to average 23.2 PPG and 9.2 RPG in 42 games, but he’s playing a role for Philadelphia that’s hid his lack of burst as a wing.

The jumpers aren’t falling (29.9 percent on jump shot attempts) for Covington, and he’s taking 5.7 three-point attempts per game, highlighting his favoritism for the perimeter game than driving to the basket.

Shotchart_1452666077073 /

Hinkie’s synonymous with the analytical approach, lecturing at prestigious schools including Harvard, Stanford and Wharton about the topic. If the focus was adding a shooter to assist Nerlens Noel, and Michael Carter-Williams at the time, the numbers favored Charlotte’s Troy Daniels over Robert Covington.

The 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of VCU, in the 2013-14 season, trumped Covington in advanced statistics like TS% (True Shooting Percentage), ORtg (Offensive Rating), eFG% (Effective Field-Goal Percentage), and Offensive Win Shares, per RealGM. Hinkie favored the base stats Covington put up instead of paying a small fee for Daniels’ services, a member of the Houston Rockets on a multi-year contract in 2014.

In addition, Hinkie’s analytical take on finding talent becomes obsolete in the draft, where the “Best Player Available” approach has been his forte for years. By ignoring fit, he’s hindering the team’s chance of short-term success. Adding Jahlil Okafor when the team’s two main pieces are centers might not get you the initial numbers, but he’s taken the analytical avenue when it comes to value.

That facet isn’t tied to Moneyball, as guys like Hatteberg and Bradford became fixtures on the teams even when their value increased. It also is exponentially more difficult to find immediate impact in the NBA, a reason why the Sixers low-risk contracts epitomize optionality. Over the years, he’s been more content with the pieces he has.

Per ESPN.com, 23 players logged minutes for Philadelphia in 2013-14. The quest to finding talent on the market is similar to Moneyball, as a lot of players were given opportunities that might not have been presented elsewhere.

#NBA column: Will #Sixers start to play roster roulette again Sunday? https://t.co/Ik9o7vHesh #76ers
— Tom Moore (@TomMoorePhilly) January 8, 2016

Hinkie, according to Moore, has guaranteed the contracts for players playing on un-guaranteed deals. T.J. McConnell made the cut, providing Philadelphia with consistent point guard play with limited turnovers and a pension for finding the open man. On a one-year deal, he’s earning his money with efficiency-shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and sporting a 4.9-2.2 assist-to-turnover ratio-and has been a semi-revelation as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

Also playing a factor in Hinkie’s willingness to not annually hijack the roster is the relationship he shares with agents. Filing through more than 20 players in the 2013-14 season breeds uncertainty and lacks organizational continuity. With letting players go and dealing essential rotational pieces (Michael Carter-Williams, K.J. McDaniels) for assets, the bond between Hinkie and players’ agents has been deemed as unstable.

"“The only way an agent will deal with the Sixers is the Jimmy Butler situation,” said a league source, per The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey in October. “They’ll use the Sixers and [general manager Sam] Hinkie to get leverage for other teams.”"

In the article, Pompey said that Hinkie “has put what is best for the franchise ahead of what the agents want.” Thus, Hinkie’s attempt to find gems hasn’t been as volatile and consistent as it was two years ago.

The Sixers have focused on analytics, at times, to bring players in, McConnell as a lead guard who’ll assist over formulate iso possessions for himself, but could have been more immersed in the process. Multiple players from all five positions didn’t pan out for Philadelphia, but Hinkie did acquire some that did (McConell, Ish Smith, Thompson).

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Evident by guaranteeing contracts and not recycling through a roster similar to the past two seasons, Hinkie’s “Moneyball” resides in value. Maximizing the Sixers’ odds through the draft and having cap space ideal to bring in premier free agents, Philadelphia has run its own course.

The Philadelphia 76ers Could Have Been NBA’s Version of “Moneyball”

By Jake Hyman | Jan 13, 2016

The Philadelphia 76ers could have been the NBA’s version of Billy Beane’s “Moneyball” philosophy.