Boston Celtics, Austin Ainge

What does a Director of Player Personnel actually do in the NBA? Austin Ainge, who can point to that job title in his role at the Boston Celtics, is unsure. It differs from team to team but what Ainge knows for sure is that he is tasked with assembling the roster and keeping tabs on a database of hundreds of players across the globe. He is also one of the few performance staff working in elite sport who can say that their boss is their father, with the Celtics' General Manager being Danny Ainge. Together they have assembled one of the finest rosters in the NBA. Last week saw Boston take on the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA London Global Game and it was a prime opportunity for the Leaders Performance Institute to sit down with Ainge for an exclusive chat to discuss his role and the place of data and analytics in basketball. He also touches upon: -The makeup of the Celtics' scouting department -The inevitable arguments with colleagues and his father, Boston GM Danny Ainge -Working with national federations in Europe to ensure a pipeline of talent to the NBA -The balance between objectivity and subjectivity in analytics -Why his work cannot be judged instantly