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Wharton Moneyball

Wharton Moneyball: NFL Philosophies, NBA Analytics, & MLB Storylines

Ep. 167

Show from 9/11/19


In this episode of Wharton Moneyball our hosts talk with the former Director of Basketball Research for the Milwaukee Bucks Seth Partnow. Who now covers NBA and Basketball analytics for The Athletic.They discuss with Seth on what production looks like from an analyst's view and will NBA teams defend the three point line closer. Next our hosts talk with former NFL 20 year NFL Executive, Joe Banner.on where the New England Patriots competitive edge comes from. Also have you ever wondered how NFL Executives build their NFL Team?


Guests:

Seth Partnow covers the NBA and basketball analytics for The Athletic. He resides in Milwaukee and was the Director of Basketball Research for the Milwaukee Bucks until this off season.

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Follow him on Twitter @SethPartnow


Check out his articles https://theathletic.com/checkout/?plan_id=45&pc=offerended2 


Joe Banner is a former NFL 20 year NFL Executive. He was the President of the Philadelphia Eagles and later the CEO of the Cleveland Browns. He was also an ESPN analyst.


Follow him on Twitter @JoeBanner13.



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