Jason Kidd has been making the most of his first few months in the Milwaukee area since being named Bucks coach, but it hasn’t been all golf trips, baseball games and farmers markets for J-Kidd this summer.
With a new roster to learn and a young team to teach, Jason has set aside plenty of time for work. That includes watching two of his players—Giannis Antetokounmpo and Zaza Pachulia—in international play ahead of the FIBA World Cup in Spain.
“I keep tabs on Giannis and Zaza – he had a great summer,” Jason said. “My thing right now is to talk to Zaza because he’s back (in Milwaukee) and just see how he feels physically. Being a part of summer basketball, it’s a long season so you want to make sure he gets the proper rest and that he’s ready to go. He had a heck of a summer.
“But just watching Giannis, he still amazes me, being able to dribble twice from three quarters court, and only being 19, and I think the future is very bright for him.”
Antetokounmpo, a.k.a. “The Greek Freak”, is regarded as one of the most promising young players in the league. Along with Giannis, Jason has plenty of young players to mold, including No. 2 overall pick Jabari Parker and a dynamic young guard in Brandon Knight.
“Being in a new situation with a new group of 15 guys, there’s always thoughts of how can I make Giannis better, how can I make Jabari (Parker) better, putting them in a position to be successful,” Jason said. “The same thing with the guys that have been here, you talk about (Ersan) Ilysaova, (Brandon) Knight, (Khris) Middleton, so it’s a lot more of a mental whirl, a chess game of trying to understand how to make these guys better.”
With new ownership in place, a commitment to improvement and a hungry young roster, Coach Kidd believes he and the Bucks franchise have plenty for fans to look forward and plan for as training camp looms at the end of the month.
“You hear about the buzz of the Bucks,” he said regarding his recent exploration of the city. “When you have new ownership that’s going to be aggressive about trying to put a contender together and young talent that’s going to take the floor, there’s a lot of reason to be excited.”
