Jason Kidd’s Milwaukee Bucks team has convened early ahead of next week’s start of training camp, and already the head coach is happy with what he is seeing.
Making an appearance on The Mike Heller show on The Big 1070 Thursday afternoon, Coach Kidd spoke about some of the challenges facing the Bucks as he enters his first year with the organization and what he’s looking forward to most about Bucks training camp.
“When you look at the young guys working in this gym, it’s exciting,” he said.
Jason took a quick look back at his mindset going into last season—his first as a head coach in the NBA. The future Hall of Fame point guard described it as walking into a dark room and having to feel his way around the new environment. With a change in environment again this year, he sees a similar situation.
“It was a dark room walking in as a coach with no experience—everything was unknown,” Jason said. “I was very fortunate to have veteran guys. I was very excited about the challenge and again that is the same kind of scene I’m in. It’s a great challenge, and I’m looking forward to helping guys be successful.”
The biggest buzz around the Milwaukee franchise stems from the Bucks’ pair of promising young stars.
The first, Giannis “The Greek Freak” Antetokounmpo, is a long, athletic player entering his second year. At 6-11, Antetokunmopo has already earned his nickname through his spectacular athleticism. But J-Kidd is most eager to see what Giannis can do as he becomes more and more accustomed to playing in the NBA.
“The more time he’s on the floor, he gets to be that much more comfortable,” Coach Kidd said of the Greek native. “Watching him this summer, he understands how to move the ball, how to find a teammate make the play to the right teammate and that something i’ve always enjoyed as a player. guys being unselfish. he can make the game easier for his teammates and then also that will make the game easier of himself.”
If Antetokounmpo is prospect No. 1, then rookie Jabari Parker can be considered 1A. A product of Duke University, Parker was the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft and is looking like one of the most promising young scorers in the league.
But more than anything, J-Kidd loves Parker’s tireless work ethic.
“He’s a hard worker, a very gifted young man. He understands how to play the game,” Jason said. “What I love about him is he’s is coachable and wants to be better—he’s hungry. He’s in the gym in the morning and he comes back at night. He wants to be good and he’s putting in the time to do that.”
Though the two youngsters have gotten the most buzz, Jason was sure to point out that his team has some veterans with something to prove as well.
Among them is center Larry Sanders. The Virginia Commonwealth product is entering his fifth year, and in year three he finished just shy of averaging a double-double. However, he saw his production dip last year due to suspension and injury.
After seeing the promise in Sanders two years ago, Milwaukee fans are hopeful for a triumphant return, and so far, Jason says all signs are looking up for the 6’11” Buck.
“Larry has had a great summer,” Coach Kidd said. “He has done everything we have asked. He is very excited to play basketball. When he is playing in the morning with the young guys, he looks great. We’re very happy to see where Larry is now, and we’re looking for good things from him this season.”
While there is certainly plenty for Bucks fans to be excited about this year, Jason remains focused on helping his new team improve.
Milwaukee had the worst record in the league last year (15-67), and while J-Kidd is hoping for a playoff berth for his squad, he believes improvement over the long-term is the ultimate key to success.
“When you look at individual guys on this team, if each player got better one percent, that puts us hopefully in the top 16 teams that continue to keep playing after April,” he said. “As a coach it’s my job to get each guy better. That’s what I’m looking for when we look at April and we look back—did guys get better?”
That process officially begins Sept. 30 with the start of training camp. The Bucks start their seven-game preseason slate Oct. 8 against Memphis.
