Danny Ainge's son Austin is the head coach of the Maine Red Claws of the D-League.
“I love the game and the team atmosphere,” Ainge said. “It’s fun to be with a group of guys trying to accomplish a goal.
“There is stress, pressure, joy, failure and disappointment — all the emotions I don’t think you don’t feel quite as intensely as in a regular job.”
Ainge is just 27 and was named Maine's head coach in 2009.
“I feel like I’m learning a lot,” Ainge said. “I get a chance to coach multiple teams — different teams — during a season because of all the roster fluctuations.
"I coach small ball. I coach big guys. I coach slow. I coach fast. You learn to adapt to your personnel. It’s a great environment for a young coach.”
Former Utah Jazz assistant Gordon Chiesa is the NBA’s mentor for D-League coaches.
Ainge is “learning his craft and doing a good job,” Chiesa said. “He’s what I call a new-wave communicator.
“When you’re 30, you communicate with players differently than older coaches, and that’s a positive.
“He’s what the D-League is all about.”