Jason Kidd on Mavs Training Camp: ‘Good Energy, Guys Working Hard’

Under head coach Jason Kidd, the Dallas Mavericks advanced to the Western Conference Finals through an improved defense. They’ll try to replicate that success this season.

Last season, the Dallas Mavericks adjusted to a different philosophy under head coach Jason Kidd. In just one season, the team transformed into one of the top defenses in the NBA, as they finished the year with a 109.1 defensive rating. 

In the playoffs, Dallas used a small lineup to advance to the Western Conference Finals before ultimately falling to the Golden State Warriors.

With no Jalen Brunson now, and the additions of big men Christian Wood and JaVale McGee, the Mavs’ playbook might be slightly different, but the overall philosophy will remain the same.

“I think the biggest thing is picking up where we left off. And that’s just communicating, talking to one another both on and off the floor, and then having fun with that, and I thought today was a good start," said Kidd as the Mavs opened training camp on Tuesday.

“There was a lot of good energy. Guys had fun, they worked extremely hard, they did everything we asked them to do. Now we’ll go back and look at the film and see where we can get better at and then prepare for practice tomorrow.”

One area the Mavs hope to improve upon is their rebounding numbers. During the 2021-22 season, Dallas finished 24th in rebounding, as it averaged 43 boards in under 240.9 minutes. 

Against the Golden State Warriors, Luka Doncic and company struggled down low as Dallas got outrebounded 234-177.

Dallas will be a bigger team with Spencer Dinwiddie and McGee inserted into the starting lineup. Because of this, paired with Wood coming off the bench, the Mavs should be able to use their size to improve their rebounding numbers as well as continuing to improve their defense.

One recent example of this team strategy is the 2020 Los Angeles Lakers, where Kidd was an assistant. During his former team's championship run, the Lakers leaned defense and size just like the Mavs are trying to do this year, and they ended up winning a title because of it.

“I’m ready,” Kidd said. “When you look at the roster, it’s different, so I’m looking to continue to build to have that championship team.”

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