• Jason Kidd spoke to Fadeaway World In Abu Dhabi and shared his true feelings on having 2011 title veterans around the team
• Kidd emphasized Tyson Chandler’s relationship with the centers on the roster, especially rookie Dereck Lively II
• The Mavericks have Kidd, Chandler, and Dirk Nowitzki as full-time members of the organization from the 2011 championship squad
Jason Kidd spoke to Fadeaway World during the 2023 NBA Abu Dhabi Games and gave an insight into how the presence of veterans from the Mavs’ 2011 title squad helped the young players on the current Mavs’ roster.
“We’re very fortunate to have some of those members around our young group to mentor and coach. We talk about Tyson Chandler and having the opportunity to have him in the gym for training camp and hopefully for the rest of the season to help with our bigs. Not just Lively, but Holmes and DP, help with that knowledge.”
Jason Kidd on players of the 2011 championship squad being around the franchise to mentor the current roster.
"We're very fortunate to have some of those members around our young group to mentor and coach. We talk about Tyson Chandler and having the opportunity to have him in… pic.twitter.com/TG4I0xgGb5
— Fadeaway World (@FadeawayWorld) October 8, 2023
Tyson Chandler is a former Defensive Player of the Year and is widely considered to be the piece that helped the Mavericks end years of failure to finally lift the NBA title.
Dallas hasn’t had an elite big man since Chandler was let go after the 2011 title, but they’re hoping that their 12th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Dereck Lively II, can be the modern-day Chandler.
Jason Kidd Opens Up On Tyson Chandler’s Relationship With Dereck Lively II
While in conversation with us, Kidd spoke in detail of Chandler’s relationship with Lively. Chandler has been brought in as a player development coach for Dallas and will hope to develop Lively to maximize his defensive potential as a 7’1 center with a 7’8 wingspan.
“He’s been hands-on with Lively and he’s done a great job up to this point of helping him understand what to expect and be successful as an 18-year-old. We’re very blessed to have some of these coaches who have won that championship and understand what it takes. You have to work and it doesn’t happen overnight.”
Lively played for the Duke Blue Devils last season but didn’t have the best year, averaging 5.2 points and 5.4 rebounds, shooting 65.8% from the field. He needs to develop more before he can be a legitimate contributor for the Mavericks, but it’s clear the coaching staff trusts him enough to make him a starter from day one.
The center put up two points, five rebounds, and one block in the first game against the Wolves in Abu Dhabi. He followed it up with two points, four rebounds, and three blocks in the second game.
Tyson Chandler Looks At Dereck Lively II As A Personal Project
In a recent appearance on the ‘All The Smoke’ podcast, Chandler shared his true feelings on the Mavericks selecting Lively and bringing him onto the team to be his mentor.
(Starts at 4:08)
“As the draft was coming along, I watched a little bit of tape, and I was like, ‘I hope they get this kid.’ Gives me something to do, like a project. A project to work on. And then they take him, I get to meet him… He’s a great, great dude. They definitely, definitely needed him. That’s always been the missing key for the Mavs… I’m trying to get him right. He wants to learn, he’s active, and right now he’s a sponge.”
Lively is the center of the future for the Mavericks. Even though he’s only made two baskets across two games so far, both of those baskets came from picture-perfect Luka Doncic lobs. There’s a lot of upside here as long as the Mavericks are patient enough to develop the 18-year-old center they used a lottery pick on.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
