In Dallas, new head coach Jason Kidd is hoping to elevate the Mavericks to new heights in the West.
The core of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis is already a great place to start, but it will take some adjustments and major game-planning to truly maximize their potential.
Kidd, who is about to enter his first season ad coach of the Mavs, has already expressed his excitement about what is to come.
For fans, his arrival was questionable, at best, considering his previous tenure in Milwaukee and, more specifically, Brooklyn.
Kidd didn’t last long on those teams, and both seemingly got better after his departure. That reality, along with his troubled past, made a lot of people hesitant to accept him as the leader of the team.
In a recent chat with the media, Kidd addressed his past, making a shockingly blunt admission about his tenure in Milwaukee and what he’s learned since that experience.
“When I first became a head coach, I was scared to death. I knew nothing. … Coming here to Dallas, it’s about having fun. You can’t control everything. You got to let your players be themselves.”
Jason Kidd on @dfwticket on his style with Mavs compared to with Nets/Bucks: "When I first became a head coach, I was scared to death. I knew nothing. … Coming here to Dallas, it's about having fun. You can't control everything. You got to let your players be themselves."
— Callie Caplan (@CallieCaplan) October 14, 2021
Kidd’s tenure in Brooklyn was messy, to say the least. More than anything, it’s mostly remembered for that time he purposely spilled his drink on the court to get an extra timeout.
Fortunately, those days are long gone now and he seems to be feeling good about the direction of his new team.
But, more importantly, how do the players feel? According to Kristaps Porzingis, things are much clearer under this new regime.
“A few things are different. A few things are, I’d say, a bit clearer than last year,” he said following the Mavericks-Clippers duel.
Of course, the Mavs’ success this season will ultimately depend on the performance of Luka Doncic, who has already emerged a the face of the franchise.
If he continues to be the star he’s shown he can be in the past, this could be the year that Dallas has a breakout season. If not, hopefully, they make some strides towards that goal.
Either way, coach Kidd knows what he’s doing now… which, by his own words, is more than can be said about some of his other jobs.
