The new coach of the Dallas Mavericks, Jason kidd, he wanted to make it clear during his first press conference with his new colors that still bet on the Luka Doncic – Kristaps Porzingis tandem to lead the team.
“I think he’s excited, ready to go, and I think we will see a different KP“Kidd said during his presentation with the Mavs. “It has been a positive summer, he is healthy and I think he is really excited about this opportunity. I think he is the ideal partner for Doncic, he has a repertoire of skills that many do not have in this league. As a coach, I am very happy to have him with us ”.
Kidd’s words are a buoyant missile against the narrative that has been putting Porzingis on the exit ramp for months. At least for the gallery, the Mavericks coach wants to give another chance to a duo who have raised doubts about their lack of understanding off the court.
On Doncic, the 48-year-old former player made several points about the i’s. “Luka is special, he has been a professional for a long time but you can always improve. I think his appetite is big ”, explained. Immediately afterwards, Kidd pointed out two possible novelties regarding aspects of improvement for the Slovenian: his reaction to adversity and less possession of the ball.
“Luka is only 22 years old. He still has a long way to go to be that perfect player. My time around stars in Los Angeles will allow me to pass that path on to my players. We all understand that we are not going to be unbeatable, that there will be moments that will put us to the test. How will we react when the going gets tough? “.
“When you look at the numbers, you see that the ball has a lot. And he is a special player when he has it, but in this process of continuing to meet us during the summer, I will ask you different questions to know your opinion about playing without the ball and not having to raise it every time that starts a play. Let the ball come to him from the background. Because When you look at the last quarter, sometimes it is tired. Not always, but it can get tired ”.
It seems Kidd has come up with fresh and unapologetic ideas to Dallas, where he wants to improve the defensive aspect at the choral level: “I’ll take what I learned from Frank Vogel and apply it here. When you look at Frank’s defenses, they have finished first in the last two years. Here in Dallas we are going to play a little defense, because we know we can score.. We are going to pay attention to the little things, which will guide us to win the ring ”.
The ambition of the Mavs, from day one, is maximum.