During the 1997-98 season, Danny Ainge was so ahead of his time that some thought the then-Suns coach was out of his young mind.
Or maybe he was just making the most of his material. He sometimes started three point guards (Kevin Johnson, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash) and was an early implementer of a principle that seems to guide most forward-thinking coaches now: You can never pack enough skill into a lineup.
The Celtics president of baketball operations now has a coach in Brad Stevens who applies the standard to his big men as well. The goal is to play five skilled players together as often as possible.