Coach Kidd on Mavs' Luka Doncic: 'It's A Beautiful Thing'
DALLAS - The Dallas Mavericks held the team's first press conference involving head coach Jason Kidd and general manager Nico Harrison on Thursday at the American Airlines Center.
Kidd joined the Los Angeles Lakers coaching staff as an assistant in 2019 to which he has since been part of seven games with Luka Doncic on the floor. From what Kidd has seen of Doncic, he referred to it as 'poetry in motion.'
“From afar, it’s a beautiful thing to watch,” Kidd said. “It’s poetry in motion.”
It's not difficult to be impressed by the things that Doncic can do with the basketball. He's emerged as a truly one of the elite talents the NBA has to offer having earned consecutive All-NBA First-Team nods before turning 23-years-old. There's a lot that can be done with a talent of that nature...
READ MORE: Luka & KP: Has New Coach Kidd Already Solved Mavs Puzzle?
Much of the appeal about the possibility of pairing Doncic with Kidd as his head coach was simply the connection the two will share with Kidd being a former high-level NBA point guard.
Kidd made it clear that he is not going to get in the way of Doncic's creativity throughout games. From his playing experience, Kidd acknowledged the value of allowing special players to try things even if there will be mistakes at times.
“His imagination is at the highest level, which is a great thing to be a part of. My imagination — again, because things are grainy and they aren’t clear — I tried a lot of things, and I know I drove my coaches crazy, but I think he still has that flair, that ability to try something. I won’t get mad because I’ve been in those shoes.”
There's a lot more to coaching the Mavericks than 'get out of the way and let Luka cook' but not causing a potential rift by not doing so is something that is important to avoid.
There were concerns with the relationship that former head coach Rick Carlisle had with Doncic toward the end of his tenure. The Mavericks now appear to have a needed fresh start to build on going forward.
READ MORE: Mavs' Luka Doncic Picked As 2022 NBA MVP Favorite
