Jason Kidd was given a routine night off Wednesday and watched as his team won their ninth straight game, a 112-109 defeat of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
J-Kidd has averaged nearly 37 minutes per game in the past month and had only missed one of the Mavericks’ 61 games this season. But Dallas Mavericks Head Coach Rick Carlisle assured fans that Jason is healthy, as he told NBA.com:
"He’s perfectly healthy and we want to keep it that way," Carlisle said. "It’s the right time to do it. It has nothing to do with any disrespect for the opponent."
Without No. 2 commanding the court, the Mavericks took Minnesota’s best shot and narrowly escaped with victory, 112-109. Jason’s protégé, rookie Roddy Beaubois, played in his place and contributed 17 points and four assists to help the Mavs to their ninth straight victory.
Center Brendan Haywood commended the rookie’s performance but noted the Mavericks weren’t the same team in the absence of J-Kidd, as he told DallasBasketball.com:
"I love what Roddy did for us. He probably won us the game. But we need Jason Kidd."
A LEADER ADAPTS
Haywood’s sentiments are proof that No. 2 has become the engine that drives the Mavericks.
Jason orchestrates his teammates flawlessly on the hardwood and has evolved into one of the most threatening guards in the league.
Kevin Sherrington of the Dallas Morning News recently wrote a piece focusing on Jason’s transformation from a guard who couldn’t shoot to one of the most respected players the game has ever seen.
Sherrington notes that early in his career, J-Kidd got by mainly on his defense. In his second NBA season, he averaged 6.8 rebounds per game but shot only 33 percent.
As he gained more experience, his knowledge of the game expanded. Jason has always been known for his "basketball IQ," as Sherrington writes:
"Straight up: I’ve always liked the way Kidd plays. Thought so even way back when a Dallas assistant, Butch Beard, told me the Mavs did the right thing trading him to the Suns. Said Kidd couldn’t shoot, and he was right. Generally speaking, a guard who can’t shoot is the same as a deputy with a bullet in his pocket.
Anyway, it’s tough to make it in the NBA if you can’t shoot. Kidd managed. He did it by running the offense and playing good defense and adding a wrinkle you wouldn’t expect, namely, rebounding. He performed all three at such a high level that his shooting was rarely an issue.
He has what experts call "a high basketball IQ." What this means is that he’s not just dribbling in circles, waiting for Dirk to get open."
Sherrington compared No. 2’s basketball IQ to NBA legends Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. He said Jason has the gift of knowing what’s about to happen on the court.
His heads-up play on Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson is the most recent example of Jason’s gift. He noticed the coach standing on the court, which is against NBA rules. He immediately and intentionally bumped into Woodson, inducing a technical foul on the coach and awarding the Mavs with two crucial free throws. Very few players can think ahead like Jason can.
But No. 2 knew that his heads-up style wasn’t enough. To be the player he has become, he had to work even harder. With age, J-Kidd has added new skills to his résumé. He decided to give his game the edge it needed by becoming a feared shooter.
He worked endlessly on his shot and his statistics steadily rose, as Sherrington writes:
"For a guy so smart, it might have seemed a little late in the game. A classic point guard, Kidd had always been a facilitator first. But he knew he had to change. What made it problematic is that basketball players in their 30s don’t add to their games. They die with what brung ’em.
Instead of fading away, Kidd went to work every summer with what amounts to a swing coach.
Before Kidd came back to Dallas two years ago, his best 3-point percentage over a full season was 36.6. Last year, he shot 40.6. But he still didn’t trust it. Opponents knew it and backed off, daring him. Teammates and coaches, knowing how much it would help Kidd’s drives and the rest of the offense if a defender was forced to play him, begged him to shoot. And still he wouldn’t let it fly."
His work has come to a head this year and Jason now trusts his range, shooting 42 percent from downtown. He has become more comfortable with his shot and isn’t afraid to put up a buzzer-beater like he did to end the third quarter of the Mavericks big win over the Los Angeles Lakers late last month.
In the month of February No. 2 scored in double-digits in 11 of the 13 games, the most memorable being his triple-double against the Hawks. Jason has fully embraced his role as an offensive leader, an assist machine and a fearless scorer, as he told the Dallas Morning News:
"This is me. This is us."
To read Sherrington’s piece in its entirety, click here.
NEXT UP
J-Kidd will return to the hardwood Friday night at the American Airlines Center against the Sacramento Kings. Tip-off is at 7:30 CST on Fox Sports Network.
RELATED STORIES
Timberwolves at Mavericks recap (NBA.com, March 4, 2010)
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Kidd rests, so does defense, but Mavericks win 9th straight (Dallas Morning News, March 4, 2010)
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