Danny Ainge discusses the merits of sports analytics: 'It's not like a new invention.'

On-base percentage has been around for a while.

"It's not like a new invention. It's like a new world of people who are now involved in the game that weren't before — smart people. And so I like our group of people (with the Celtics). I love talking to them. I'm trying to teach them about basketball, and they're trying to teach me about analytics. And I think it's important, so I think it's all good." 

"I don't see it as that much different from when I was coaching (the Phoenix Suns from 1996 to 2000). When I coached, I looked at numbers. I looked at lineup numbers. I looked at certain things. The numbers are more sophisticated, more accessible, and we have more people doing it. But in some ways, there are a lot of the same things but just different ways to get there and with fancier words and so forth. It's sort of like a buzzword of 'on-base percentage.' That became a big deal (during the Moneyball craze), but that was emphasized when I played baseball back in high school." 

"You win with great players, obviously. That's the one way everybody knows how to win. But I think everybody is looking for an edge. Everybody is looking for little tweaks in the system."