Before the arrival of Jason Kidd, the Milwaukee Bucks had logged four straight losing seasons and posted the worst record in the NBA just last season.
But in just a few months’ time, last year’s embarrassing 15-win season has been but a distant memory for Bucks Nation, as Coach Kidd has his squad seven games above .500 at the break and at No. 6 in the Eastern Conference standings.
Several stars, including point guard Brandon Knight and youngsters Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo have emerged along the way—but the team approach has been the engine for the Milwaukee machine.
“You can see in the stat line, there are always five or six guys in double figures,” Jason said. “The guys are sharing the ball. I think they really believe in team. It isn’t just one guy we count on, we count on everybody and I think they really believe that.”
Eleven Bucks have averaged more than seven points per game this season and five—Knight, Antetokounmpo, Parker, O.J. Mayo and Khris Middleton—have averaged double figures. While part of Jason’s team approach has come thanks to the team’s depth of talent, much of it has been due to necessity.
Coach Kidd’s “Next Buck Up” philosophy has been a requirement, as injuries have afflicted nearly every player on the roster at some point in the season, including ending the season of No. 2 overall draft pick Parker while he was well on his way to winning Rookie of the Year.
The Bucks have missed a combined 201 games due to injury, illness and suspension, but they’ve stuck together through it all.
“These guys really believe in one another and believe in the schemes and philosophy we have brought in since day one,” Kidd said. “They are having fun with it. You can see that out on the court.”
All 16 players who have suited up for the Bucks this season have contributed at some point during the first 53 games, while Nate Wolters (currently a free agent) and Kenyon Martin are the only two who haven’t started a game. For J-Kidd, it has been all about finding guys who love the game and getting the most out of them—but according to the second-year head coach, it has been easy with this group.
“This is basketball. I think being the second youngest team in the league, guys work extremely hard on their craft,” Jason said. “Just the family aspect, believing in one another.”
From Knight to Jorge Gutierrez, Coach Kidd has squeezed career-bests out of each player.
Jared Dudley for example, the epitome of an essential role player, is shooting a 44.2 percent clip from the 3-point line this season, the best percentage he has shot from downtown in five seasons. Not to mention his 50.6 percent overall field goal clip, which is his best ever.
The third-year man out of Texas A&M, Middleton, is having career numbers as well in both shooting efficiency and rebounding. He has made 47.6 percent of his shots from the field, up almost three percent from last season, and pulled down 4.4 rebounds per game, another career mark.
“He’s been great,” Jason said of Middleton. “He’s been playing at a really high level offensively and defensively.”
The last two names worth mentioning are players that carry the team in all facets of the game; second-year player Antetokounmpo and fourth year guard, Knight.
Giannis has nearly doubled his scoring average from 6.8 to 12.0 this year—and if his back-to-back 25-plus-point games just before the break are any indicator, that number will continue to rise.
“When you look at Giannis, he’s able to put the ball on the floor and find his teammates,” J-Kidd said. “Also you can see the last two weeks he’s grown as a player and as a person. He’s playing at a very high level on both ends.”
B-Knight has about the same firing power, with just under 18 points per game (17.8), but has elevated his numbers in shooting percentage (43.5), rebounds (4.3) and assists (5.4).
“B-Knight’s playing at an All-Star level,” Coach Kidd said. “When he has the ball, we always feel like something good’s going to happen.”
The largest testament to Coach Kidd’s faith in his players is in the bench stats. At an average of 42.3 points per game, the Bucks are second only to the Phoenix Suns by .4 points. Jerryd Bayless; Zaza Pachulia; O.J. Mayo; John Henson; and Ersan Ilyasova are key contributors off the bench for the Bucks. On any given night this handful of players could score 15 to 20 points and be the X-factor in victory.
This approach has kept the Bucks fairly consistent throughout the season. Like their coach, they’re even-keeled—never too high or too low.
They’ve hovered right around .500 all season long. From December on, the Bucks never dipped more than one game below or more than two games above that mark—until the end of January.
A tough Jan. 25 road loss to the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs dropped the Bucks to 22-22, but it started a renaissance. Milwaukee turned around and reeled off five straight wins—its best span of the season.
That included a big win over Western Conference power Portland at home, as well as a road win over the No. 2 team in the East: the Toronto Raptors.
A close road loss to another West mainstay, the Houston Rockets, broke that spell, but just one night later, the Bucks rebounded, beating the Boston Celtics to start a three-game win streak that has carried them into the All-Star break at 30-23.
“We are still not content,” Mayo said. “We have a whole second half of the season left. We don’t want to mess up what we did in the first half. Teams are going to have a little bit more respect for us. If you want to be a good team, you understand other good teams are going to rev it up to get ready for the playoffs.”
BY THE NUMBERS
1—Only one team—this Bucks squad—has doubled its win total from the previous season
1—Only one team—this Bucks squad—has doubled its win total from the previous season before the All-Star break.
1—The Bucks are the best in the NBA at preventing and defending opponents from scoring on fast breaks, allowing just 10.5 points per game on the break. Meanwhile, they’re fifth in the NBA, scoring 15.6 fast-break points per game.
2—Milwaukee is second in the NBA in bench scoring at 42.3 points per contest.
3—Jason’s squad has been strong shooting the J. They rank third in the NBA in three-point percentage at 37.8.
5—The Bucks rank fifth in the NBA in shooting percentage at 46.6.
6—Milwaukee is sixth in the league in points allowed, yielding just 97.2 points per contest.
9.6—The Bucks are averaging 9.6 steals per game, good for No. 3 in the league.
201—The Bucks have been banged up: Players have missed a combined 201 games due to injury, illness and suspension.
1986—This Bucks team was the fastest to win 30 games since the 1985-86 squad, which won 57 games and reached the Eastern Conference finals.
IN THEIR WORDS
At the core of every strong relationship is trust—and that has been the foundation for a successful run made by Jason and his team, according to veteran guard Jared Dudley:
“There’s a lot of trust in J-Kidd and how he coaches and the way he goes about his business,” Dudley said. “It’s by committee each night. As a player, you can only respect that.”
Guard O.J. Mayo on the commitment and work ethic of Jason and his staff:
“Our coaches do a heck of a job preparing us, and we’ve got to take that to the game,” Mayo said. “We have to respond. They’re up all night watching film. They’re giving us everything the (opponent) loves to do, strengths and weaknesses. We have to bring that into the game.”
Mayo on Milwaukee’s November victory over the Brooklyn Nets in three overtimes:
“Coach Kidd is our man. I know we all took it personal. He’s helped us all in a huge way,” Mayo said. “It was a must-win for us. Without even saying anything to each other, we knew we had to win.”
Guard Jerryd Bayless on playing for Coach Kidd:
“J-Kidd may be the best coach I’ve had,” Bayless wrote in a blog entry. “He’s had a great impact on this franchise in a short period of time, and I’m really happy to play for him.”
Point guard Brandon Knight has been perhaps the biggest benefactor of Jason’s arrival. He has put up All-Star caliber numbers over the first half, averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game. It has come as a surprise to some, but not to those around the franchise. Knight said before the season that he would be taking full advantage of having a future Hall of Fame point guard as his coach:
“I’m going to take advantage of the time that I have with him,” Knight said in July, “so I can learn from one of the best to play the position, a Hall of Famer.”
Salt Lake Tribune writer Tony Jones penned a column about J-Kidd and how the Bucks reflect his style as a player—here’s a bit from that piece:
“Two years after his retirement, the Milwaukee Bucks are a team molded in the personality of Jason Kidd. They are tough. They do the dirty work. They work hard, and they defend. Boy, do they defend,” Jones wrote. “They are one of the surprise teams of the NBA and one with a bright future with Kidd at the helm.”
SECOND-HALF OUTLOOK
The extended All-Star break gives teams at least seven days off, doubling the layoff players and coaches are accustomed to at this time. Milwaukee will return to practice Thursday — also the NBA’s trade deadline — in preparation for Friday’s home game against the Denver Nuggets.
The Bucks then host the Eastern Conference-leading Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 22 before beginning a stretch of five of six on the road, including a West Coast swing to Los Angeles, Utah, Denver and Golden State.
At 30-23, the Bucks are sixth in the East, just two games behind the Cleveland Cavaliers in fifth place, and 2.5 games behind the Washington Wizards in fourth.
But at 8-2, the Bucks are tied for the best mark in the NBA in the last 10 games—leaving Jason optimistic about what his squad can do going into the final stretch of the regular season.
“We start at home with a nice home stand,” J-Kidd said. “This is a little different for everybody with the longer break. I told the guys, ‘Enjoy the break.’ Much needed. But for the guys who have been around, it does turn into a sprint. The better teams start to play a little bit harder and they get better. The new season (the playoffs) is just around the corner. This will be fun. This is something we’re going to go through together.”
THE FINAL WORD
Jason’s squad is primed to make the playoffs, where they’ll look to become the first Milwaukee squad to advance past the first round since the George Karl-coached club from the 2000-01 season.
There is still a tough stretch ahead, but Jason believes he has the squad with the right attitude to make it happen.
“These guys really believe in one another and believe in the schemes and philosophy we have brought in since day one,” Coach Kidd said. “They are having fun with it. You can see that out on the court. Just the family atmosphere, them believing in one another. No matter if you have 14, 13 guys playing or eight or nine, they still believe they can win when they take the floor. That’s kind of fun to be around.”
