Experience, Jason Kidd has some to share. Especially in the NBA finals. A finalist as a player with the Nets in 2002 and 2003, he ended up winning a ring in 2011, with Dallas. Then when he became an assistant, he won the title in 2020 with the Lakers. Finally, ironically, he is preparing to experience his first final as a coach with… Dallas.
To achieve this “grand slam”, Jason Kidd first intends to draw inspiration from Mike Krzyzewski, the coach of Team USA at the 2008 Olympic Games. The former leader of the Redeem Team remembers the qualities of the Duke coach to manage egos.
“From day one, he took charge of the egos in the boardroom,” he remembers. “He managed egos by letting the players be themselves, serving a group. He did an incredible job with that 2008 team. He dealt with egos while on a mission to win gold, he was reliable, honest and he always told the truth. »
Today, Jason Kidd can use this experience to manage the personalities of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic. “When you're with Coach K., he tells you things, where you fit in and what he expects of you,” continues the Mavericks coach. “When you are honest with your stars, it creates respect. That's what I did with Luka and Kyrie, I always told them the truth. »
Easier to play than to train at this level?
If the former leader of the Nets and Mavs benefits from these experiences as a player, Jason Kidd recognizes that it is also easier to reach a final as a player, than as a coach.
“It’s much, much harder,” he judges. “It's easy when you're a player because you have more control. On the other hand, as a coach, it is more complicated but also more flattering. »
It is in particular the preparation work which is more complicated and tedious for a trainer.
“A lot of time is spent on it, and I have to wear glasses now because I watch a lot of videos. I didn't have one when I was a player so that's a bit of a change.” quips Jason Kidd. “But it's fun, because it's a game of chess and I love playing chess… You have to put guys in a position to succeed on and off the field. It's hard, but we have to enjoy it because we never have a guarantee of being able to come back, and that's the case for the players too. In 2011 we felt like we could do it again, but that never happened. »
