Jason Kidd didn’t just celebrate a heartfelt victory over the Boston Celtics on Thursday. He celebrated what he envisions the new Mavericks looking like.
It’s a picture that won’t be clearly visible for a while, but Kidd reiterated that it’s going to be different. That doesn’t mean it won’t be as successful as last season.
But nobody has that crystal ball.
Kidd said that the Mavericks now have the ability to play two traditional big men at the same time. It goes against the NBA’s recent grain. Most teams have stocked up on swingmen and guards and gone with one center or a power forward who works as a makeshift center.
And Kidd has sound reasoning for the lineups he sees in the Mavericks’ future. Call it a ringing endorsement, emphasis on ring.
“There are some teams that are unique and can do it and I think also teams that have had the two bigs have won championships,” Kidd said. “When you look at (recent) past champions, they’ve had two bigs on the floor. Not for the full 48, but most of the time.
“We’ve had that opportunity now to be in that position and hopefully we can build on that and be one of those teams that can be holding that trophy at the end.”
His logic is sound. Last season, Boston had Al Horford and, at least for a few games, Kristaps Porzingis to go with Jayson Tatum for a large front line.
Denver in 2023 started Aaron Gordon alongside Nikola Jokic and also played Jeff Green extensively in a three-man rotation at center and power forward. Even going back to 2020 when Kidd was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers and they won the title, they had Anthony Davis along with Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee.
Now Davis is in Dallas and will make his Maverick debut on Saturday against Houston. And Kidd is intrigued by the possibility of Davis playing his more natural power forward spot alongside Dereck Lively II or Daniel Gafford.
“When we are healthy at some point, that would be the idea to start P.J. (Washington) at the three and A.D. at the four,” Kidd said. “And then, talking about strictly healthy, D-Live healthy, Gaff healthy, we have the option of starting either one, so that’s how we would look on the front line.
“I’ve coached A.D. (as an assistant in LA), so I’ve coached two bigs when you talk about McGee and Dwight. (I’m) looking to take a little bit of everything I’ve seen to put those bigs in a position to be successful.”
And, he quickly added: “We believe that defensively, we’re in a really good position.”
The Mavericks already have begun the process of altering themselves offensively. They won’t be able to base their offense on Luka Magic or his undeniable greatness.
But they will have other assets that they didn’t have before.
“Offensively, I think we have some new play sets that lend themselves to A.D.’s talents,” Spencer Dinwiddie said. “We’ll look to be in form when we get back off this trip.
“A.D.’s one of the best players in the league in the pocket. Obviously, the step-back 35 footers are a thing of beauty, as well. The geometry changes, but we got to be pros and do our job. It’s (great) in terms of the vibes, but we haven’t played with A.D. yet. So we got to figure that part out. And obviously we got to get P.J. back. We haven’t seen our team by any stretch.”
Said Klay Thompson after his 25 points led the Mavericks over the Celtics 127-120 on Thursday: “Obviously, losing Luka, we got to adjust our style of play a lot. We got to lean on each other more. I’m just excited for what’s ahead because we’re going to get A.D. in the lineup soon and we know how great he is.”
And for Mavericks’ fans, it’s going to take time to get over the loss of Luka. But Thursday’s win in Boston was a step in the right direction. They used Max Christie extensively, continuing the narrative that he was more than just a throw-in as part of the trade.
But getting Davis on the floor is what everybody is waiting for.
“We’re going to play through him,” Kyrie Irving said. “And obviously, I’ll have the ball in my hands, too. But when we have that post-up threat, A.D. is able to get into the midrange and take a lot of pressure off all of us. When you have somebody who can play an old-school brand of basketball and command double-teams, it makes our job a lot easier. I’m excited. I’ve been seeing a lot of double-teams on this trip.”
And, of course, the bigger lineups will be welcomed. The Mavericks’ inherent rebounding problems of the past should be, indeed, a thing of the past.
“You look around the league, you look at Cleveland, they have the opportunity of playing two bigs,” Kidd said. “I think they do just fine with spacing. When you look at having someone like Klay and his ability to create space, and Kai and his ability to create space – the spacing is not the problem, it’s being consistent in being able to shoot the three. A.D. is capable of shooting the three and also capable of putting it on the floor and playmaking.”
Those are assets from a big man that the Mavericks have not had before since a guy wearing No. 41 was shuffling around the court.
Here’s our other takeaways from the win at Boston:
Trip could have been worse: The Mavericks went 2-3 on the longest trip of the season and while the emotional peaks and valleys made all the games a blur, the bottom line wasn’t bad. Winning at Boston to close the trip after so much upheaval during the middle of the trip with the trade was like a deodorant for the last 10 days. “It’s very important,” Kidd said. “We have an afternoon game Saturday, so kind of a quick turnaround. Hopefully we can get some healthy bodies (back). That would be a positive for our last homestand before the break. This (win in Boston) is a great testament to the character of those guys in that locker room, knowing things haven’t been great here of late, but understand this is a team and we got to continue to push forward and get better and we found a way to win tonight.”
Backcourt dominance: In the first half against Boston, it was the Klay Thompson show as her piled up 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting. He had it rolling. Then, in the second half, Max Christie, Kyrie Irving, Dante Exum and Spencer Dinwiddie took charge. It was a very well-done ham-and-egg situation.
Speaking of Christie: The Mavericks haven’t been able to say enough about the 6-6 swingman, who only turns 22 on Monday. His first two games have been truly impressive, including the 15-point, six rebounds and four assists against the Celtics. “I knew Max was talented, but he’s an active body, he’s a good shooter, a great finisher and a super-bright future with him,” Thompson said. “If he continues to do what he did tonight, he’s going to see a ton of minutes.” And this from Irving: “He’s been impressive, man. He has a great feel for the game already. You can tell he’s played with some high-level players, just his instincts. It’s good to see a young person in our league do the intangibles and accept their role very early and seamlessly adapt.”
X: @ESefko
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