Main Challenge for Jared Dudley and Jason Kidd This Season for the Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks’ only championship-winning head coach, Rick Carlisle, stepped down from his position last month. He still had two years remaining on his contract. Former Dallas Mavericks star Jason Kidd is the new head coach. Jared Dudley, who played under Jason Kidd at Los Angeles Lakers, has also signed a contract with the Mavericks to become the assistant coach at the franchise, according to Shams Charania.

Jared Dudley has spent 14 years in the NBA, playing for seven different teams. He became an NBA champion in 2020 with Los Angeles Lakers. Meanwhile, Jason Kidd had two stints with the Dallas Mavericks during his playing career. He won the only championship of his career with the Mavericks and became the oldest starting point guard to lead his team to an NBA championship.

Kidd then became the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. Subsequently, he left Brooklyn and became the Milwaukee Bucks’ head coach. His last coaching stint was with the Lakers as an assistant coach, where he won his first NBA title as a coach. He will now lead the Mavericks in the coming season.

Jason Kidd and Jared Dudley’s main challenge as coaches this season for Dallas Mavericks

Dallas Mavericks finished fifth in the Western Conference last season with a 42-30 record under Carlisle, clinching the division title for the first time since the 2009-10 season. However, the Mavericks lost to Los Angeles Clippers in the first round and crashed out of the championship in seven games. Hence, Jason Kidd and Jared Dudley have a lot of work to do for the coming season.

Jason Kidd and Jared Dudley’s most important challenge as coaches is to fix the team’s overreliance on Luka Doncic. The Mavericks managed to finish in the top six last season, but there were instances when Doncic bailed them out of the play-in zone. In fact, the 22-year-old Slovenian had the highest usage rate in the NBA (35.9), according to Statmuse. He was ahead of the likes of Stephen Curry, Bradley Beal, and Giannis Antetokounmpo on the list.

Dallas Mavericks had an offensive rating of 116.9 when Doncic was on the court. Without Doncic, the Mavericks had an offensive rating of just 107.6. Doncic scored over 22% of the Dallas Mavericks’ total points last season, leading the scoring, assists, and rebounds chart. This shows how reliant the Mavericks were under him last season.

Doncic, one of the best facilitators and creators in the league right now, is the best ball handler at the franchise. But Mavericks lack another ball-handler who could help Doncic in the coming season. The Mavericks, with seven incomings so far to their roster, desperately need someone from the team to step up in the absence of Doncic. Hence, Jason Kidd and Jared Dudley’s first and most important task as the coaching staff would be to build a team that can compliment Doncic and step up in his absence.

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