Jay King: Austin Ainge says the Celtics missed having more in-person draft workouts. They used those, in part, to test guys in situations that weren’t considered strengths. Helped the team determine if players had more than they showed in college.
Austin Ainge Rumors
Jared Weiss: Austin Ainge on scouting overseas: “The context matters more overseas. College is designed for young players…Different international leagues handle them differently. Sometimes they hand them the keys to the kingdom, sometimes they have to fit into veteran teams.”
Adam Himmelsbach: Austin Ainge said the Cs have had 70 guys in for draft workouts.
Danny Ainge didn’t make the trip to the NBA’s draft combine, and while he’s doing just fine in his recovery from a mild heart attack, it’s clear from sources here that he’s going to need his energy. The Celtics will have the option to undergo a major roster renovation – in part by choice and also by the decisions of others – and Ainge and his staff will need to make some very large decisions in short order. Austin Ainge told the Herald on Thursday that his father is very much looking forward to staying on the job.
“You know what, he feels great,” said Austin, here at the combine in his role as the Celts’ director of player personnel. “His doctors say he’s got a great prognosis. It’s one of those issues that it’s scary in the moment, but they found it and fixed it, and he feels good. “He’s doing great. He really is. He’s been back to pretty much life as normal. He’s been at the office. He’s been at a few draft workouts. He’s talked with Brad [Stevens]. He did exit interviews with the players. So pretty much life as normal.”
“He’s back at it,” said director of player personnel Austin Ainge, who is also Danny’s son. “He’s doing great. He’s been texting me 100 times a day. He loves his job, and he wants to continue doing it.” Austin Ainge was with his father when he suffered the heart attack on that April afternoon in Milwaukee. He declined to go into details about the incident itself, but exhaled deeply as he acknowledged how it shook their close-knit family.
