BOSTON — NBA front offices generally work with the same body of work to evaluate future prospects—combine results, video breakdowns and anecdotal reports from scouts. But understanding a player’s mental makeup requires a much more nuanced, individualized process.
That's where Austin Ainge comes in.
Ainge, son of Celtics general manager Danny Ainge, serves as the team's director of player personnel and scouting, and he is responsible for advising decisions on Boston's four 2015 NBA draft picks. Prior to that, he was a scout for the Celtics during the 2008-09 season.
Ainge must find answers to a multitude of impossible-to-quantify questions: How does a player handle coaching?