Because of his family ties, Utah Jazz fans collectively rolled their eyes (no rhyme intended) when it was announced that Austin Ainge would become the team's President of Basketball Operations. Not making it easier was when he promised the Jazz wouldn't tank next season. However, Ainge's time in Boston demonstrated how crucial he was to the Celtics' extensive success.
Following Ainge's hire, multiple Celtics reporters shouted out his success in Boston, particularly when it came to drafting.
Really happy for Austin Ainge to get a chance to run a team. Curious to see who has final say in Utah.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) June 2, 2025
This is tough for the Celtics, because Ainge was a huge part of the team consistently getting rotation guys late in the draft, as well as bringing in European players in…
Significant loss for the #Celtics. Ainge had been a big part of the front office's scouting/drafting process since 2011. https://t.co/UD3o6nEqNw
— Bobby Manning (@RealBobManning) June 2, 2025
Big implications here: Austin Ainge's departure leaves a big void in the Celtics’ front office decision-making apparatus with the draft just a few weeks away.
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) June 2, 2025
Sources say Austin will be the #1 decision-maker in Utah. https://t.co/rrhOTXJc3z
The results speak for themselves during his 14-year tenure with the Celtics. During Ainge's time with Boston, the Celtics selected the following players dating back to 2011:
-E'Twaun Moore
-Kelly Olynyk
-Marcus Smart
-Terry Rozier
-Jaylen Brown
-Jayson Tatum
-Robert Williams III
-Grant Williams
-Aaron Nesmith
-Payton Pritchard
While it's not like he and the Celtics have batted 1.000 (no NBA team has) in the draft, the Celtics have consistently been one of the NBA's most successful teams for the past decade, with a lot of their success coming from how well they've drafted in that time.
And now he gets to call the shots for the Jazz. Success might not come immediately, but seeing his history with drafting has got to make Jazz fans feel excited for what's to come.
The timing couldn't be better
The Jazz are set to have their highest draft pick since 2014 in a draft class that is loaded but also one in which no one knows how the order will play out past the first two picks. There's a batch of players the Jazz could take with the No. 5 pick, with no clear-cut candidate as of now.
Luckily, Ainge has been through this before and he's proven that he can get the right guy. Back in 2016, no one knew who was going to be the No. 3 pick in that draft class after Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram. Brown, Dragan Bender, Kris Dunn, Jamal Murray, Buddy Hield, and Marquese Chriss all were in the same tier.
When the Celtics took Brown, it was considered a highly controversial pick. Nine years later, Brown is among the most decorated players from his draft class and is arguably the best player to come out of it. The funny thing is, this class has higher expectations than 2016 did, so from the looks of things, the risk of things going wrong isn't as high as it was then.
Still, the Celtics got a multi-time All-Star who took them to multiple NBA Finals, Eastern Conference Finals, and a title. Now Ainge has the chance to do the same with the Jazz. Better yet, they have plenty of draft assets coming in over the next few years.
Again, the success might not come as quickly as Jazz fans would like, but Ainge's track record shows that the Jazz are in good hands.