Kidd steers young Mavericks

By David Mullen

There is a new sheriff in town. Jason Kidd is back in Dallas, looking to bring order to a deep and talented posse of Maverick shooters.

In replacing Rick Carlisle, who was the Dallas head coach from 2008-2021, former Mavericks star point guard Kidd arrives with plans of an up-tempo, selfless offense. In most of his successful seasons, Carlisle depended on one superstar (Dirk Nowitzki or Luka Dončić) and a lot of solid players to fill specific roles. 

Kidd inherits a superstar (Dončić) but wants the other players to provide offense to take the workload off his wunderkind. Dončić runs the risk of becoming old at 22. He began playing professionally in Europe at an early age, has battled through injuries, played seasons that extended into the playoff games and even spent this summer on the Slovenian Olympic basketball team. 

Great players often do not make great coaches. But Kidd has matured, with coaching stops at Brooklyn, Milwaukee and as an assistant with the Los Angeles Lakers. His experience in L.A. should provide insight when competing against the Mavericks’ most visible Western Conference foe. 

 There are a lot of terrific players in the NBA, but not many teams with terrific chemistry. In the Western Conference, the Phoenix Suns, Utah Jazz and Denver Nuggets proved last year that depending on superstars is not necessarily the formula for success. Sure, the Suns have Chris Paul and Devin Booker, the Jazz have Donavan Mitchell and Ruby Gobert, and the Nuggets have reigning MVP Nikola Jokic, but their success was not measured by the size of individual shoe contracts. Those teams made the playoffs by hitting the court unified. 

With plenty of shoe contracts, the Lakers are the oldest team in the league. TNT’s Charles Barkley commented, “The Lakers are a great team … in 2010.” With media darlings LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and recently added Russell Westbrook, they look unbeatable on paper. But with all the glitz, they must prove they have grit to win it all in the highly competitive NBA West.

With MVP candidate Stephen Curry, Golden State is returning to the playoff mix. The Warriors await the return of Klay Thompson from injury around Christmas to provide just the gift to make a second half run. With the San Antonio Spurs and Houston Rockets looking to reload, Dallas is the lone potential powerhouse in the Lone Star State.

The Eastern Conference is not as potent as the West, but the Brooklyn Nets are the preseason favorites in Las Vegas to win the NBA Championship. Led by head coach and former Mavs guard Steve Nash, former UT star Kevin Durant and James Harden, the Nets could be cutting down the nets at season’s end. A lot still depends on whether Kyrie Irving will get vaccinated — an NBA mandate — or sit out the season and watch his $31.2 million annual salary disappear like a shot in the arm.

Milwaukee will defend their championship with all-world forward Giannis Antetokounmpo but face stiff competition from the raising Miami Heat and young Atlanta Hawks. Philadelphia 76ers are in disarray trying to figure out the mood swings of Ben Simmons, but the normally chaotic New York Knicks seem improved this season. Late night talk show hosts may have to find another team to pick on.

The Mavericks enter the season — past Kidd — with just a few newsworthy changes. But they have a year more experience and have only one player — center Boban Marjanovic — born in the 1980s. Youth can be an advantage in today’s season long grind.

Marjanovic joins Willie Cauley-Smith and Dwight Powell as centers. The position is not what it once was in the NBA, back when Kidd played. Today’s game is about perimeter shooting. The center’s role is to rebound and provide defense against teams that still realize that the shortest distance to the basket is a layup, not a 25-footer.

As one of the greatest point guards in league history, Kidd will emphasize playmaking. The rap on coach Kidd in the past was that he was particularly tough on those who play his position. Luckily, with Tim Hardaway, Jr., Trey Burke and newcomer Frank Ntilikina, he has players who can handle the ball. Hardaway, Jr. and Jalen Brunson can shoot in a way Kidd never could until late in his career.

Forward/center Kristaps Porzingis is like the date you invite to the prom. The moment it is time for the big dance, your date cancels. Porzingis is a 20-point, 10-rebound a game player, but has missed 163 games in the last four seasons. If the Mavs have any chance of playing with the top teams this season, Porzingis needs to work, not waltz, through the season. 

Dončić is not only the face of the franchise, but is also the fresh face of pro basketball worldwide. Dončić’s jersey is the fourth most popular jersey sold behind James, Durant and Antetokounmpo and is a lot less taxing on embroiderers. 

James will be 37 during the season, and the marketing savvy NBA know they have a replacement in Dončić. Even Mavericks owner and “Shark Tank” investor Mark Cuban realizes he has an asset in Dončić. 

There are two logical scenarios for the Mavericks in 2021-22. One is more of the same. Dončić is hounded on defense and slowed by nagging injuries. Porzingis is hurt when needed the most. Centers Cauley-Stein and Powell add little value, Hardaway Jr. and Brunson have off years, and the Mavericks continue to collapse late in games by relying on three-point shooting and lose close games at the end. They barely make the playoffs and exit in the first round. Or they become the new kid in Playoff Town. The Mavericks jell with the “team first” concept and win games late that they previously lost. Porzingis plays a full season, Ntilikina becomes a lethal weapon when Dončić faces pressure, and the team creates a defensive presence inside. Hardaway Jr. and Brunson become stars, the bench plays quality minutes, and Dallas is named the surprise team of the NBA. The most targeted man at American Airlines Center will not be sharpshooter Dončić. It will be the Kidd, as fans look at how he creates a diversion for the league’s most dangerous young gun. For a coach with a lot to prove, Kidd’s ability to enact a new set of laws will become a badge of honor for a team gunning for a title.