Dallas Mavericks' Jason Kidd: 'I'm Asking You to Get 1 Percent Better'
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Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd exceeded all expectations in his first year on the job, as his team won 52 games and advanced to the Western Conference Finals despite only having 17 wins before the calendar turned to 2022.
Now, in his second season, Kidd will see if he can replicate that success with a slightly bigger and modified roster with the additions of Christian Wood and JaVale McGee. With Jalen Brunson joining the New York Knicks in free agency, Spencer Dinwiddie will try to take his place as Luka Doncic's backcourt sidekick in the starting lineup, although that leaves the Mavs thin on bench guard play.
One thing Kidd certainly isn't worried about is the play of Doncic, who is entering his fifth year in the league. Kidd recently joined the All the Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson to discuss Doncic's ceiling and his coaching philosophy for the upcoming season.
"When you look at the ceiling, the sky’s the limit. He can fly 40,000 or 50,000 until he gets tired. You look at his abilities to control the game offensively, he’s only 23 years old, and he loves to play the game," said Kidd.
"I’m just lucky to have the opportunity to have a good seat to watch him play, and also just try to help him with what I see to make the game with no stress. That is something we talk about."
Although Doncic is already a bonafide superstar coming off three consecutive All-NBA First Team selections, there are still areas he can continue to improve on going forward. Kidd revealed what he's preaching to not only Doncic, but the entire Mavs roster heading into this season.
"I am only asking you to get better one percent. That’s all I’m asking. To get better one percent, that makes the team 15 to 17 percent stronger," said Kidd.
Only time will tell if the Mavs can put together the same kind of success they had last season, but one thing is for sure – the team is hungry after falling just three games short of the NBA Finals. We'll see if Dallas can hit the ground running, which is something they haven't been able to do over the last two seasons.
You can follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter at @dalton_trigg
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