“I think it’s easier to become a better shooter than it is to learn to become an intense player“ - Danny Ainge names the two favorite players he drafted

Assembling a solid NBA team is a colossal task given the variables involved. History says that talent is good but it isn’t enough. NBA executives should be able to weed out the hungry prospects from the mediocre ones.

Danny Ainge is one of those executives who can see past inherent basketball talent. The Utah Jazz executive has made a living off assembling the most potent playoff teams in NBA history.

For Ainge, the trait he wants a prospect to have is intensity. And in his illustrious career as an executive, two players stand out from the lot: Tony Allen and Delonte West .

“I think it’s easier to become a better shooter than it is to learn to become an intense player,” Ainge said, per Boston.com . “Delonte West and Tony Allen were two of my favorite players I’ve ever drafted. And that’s what stands out about a lot of the people that I draft.”

Ainge’s favorite draftees

Allen was the 25th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. He came to be one of the best perimeter defenders of his era and even got the respect of Kobe Bryant . Allen was one of the key players of the 2008 Boston Celtics that won the title.

Meanwhile, Delonte West was the 24th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. Though he played in Boston for just three years, he became known as a reliable shooter and a good all-around player, before, unfortunately, he struggled with addiction and alcoholism after he retired.

Ainge values intensity above all

The proof is in the pudding. Even after the Big 3 era, the Celtics remained a competitive playoff team under Ainge. The former Celtics guard showed that even without a collection of superstars, he can create a formidable team. It’s all about finding the perfect set of players with an unbridled passion to win.

“People value it different. Maybe I overvalue it. I like it when I see it in player, but I also like great shooting and great length, and size, and rebounding. We were the fourth-ranked team in the NBA in defense last year with a 5-foot-8 starting point guard and no rim protectors,” Ainge said of the 2015-16 Celtics team.

Now with the Jazz, Ainge is looking to build a new contending team. It’s been a slow and tedious process so far. The Jazz failed to make the playoffs last season which suggests it’ll be a long road ahead of the organization to get back on the winning ways. But Ainge knows the type of players he needs. Once he spots it, he’ll make the moves necessary to lure them in.

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