Between the departures of Rick Carlisle and GM Donnie Nelson, then the XXL contract extension offered to Luka Doncic, the leaders of the Mavs have had a hectic summer. But less than two weeks from the start of the “training camp”, and one month from the opening of the 2021/22 season, the time has finally come to lull in Texas.
Dallas can thus breathe and fully concentrate on the next exercise, with Jason Kidd now in charge. And the new boss of the franchise will try to breathe new life into this group, eliminated twice by the Clippers in the first round, over the last two campaigns.
To do this, the one who was present in the workforce during the only Dallas champion title in 2011, intends to rely on his two strong men, Luka Doncic but also Kristaps Porzingis. For this, Jason Kidd wanted to forge some links with his two players, during a recent trip to Europe.
A full summer for Luka Doncic
In Slovenia, first of all, where an impressive Texan delegation went to the capital Ljubljana, to extend Luka Doncic over five years, and 207 million dollars.
« I had a lot of fun, I spent some time at dinner with Luka [Doncic] » , says the Dallas coach for ESPN, who was accompanied for the occasion by owner Mark Cuban, new GM Nico Harrison, assistant GM Michael Finley and special advisor Dirk Nowitzki. “He’s an incredible 22-year-old, he’s very wise. I am delighted to have the opportunity to train him. »
While waiting to have Luka Doncic under his command, Jason Kidd was also invited to return to the course and the performances of the Slovenian prodigy at the Olympic Games, where he finally finished 4th with his country and in the best five of the competition, after a great tournament.
« Wound [Doncic] did everything possible [à Tokyo] “Judge the former player of the Nets and Suns. ” He had an amazing summer, leading his country to the Olympics for the first time when the majority of people didn’t think he could, and then having the chance to win a medal which is amazing. Unfortunately he ran out of juice at the end [de la compétition], but he gave it his all. His team were up to the task too, he made his teammates incredibly good. »
A primarily human approach with Kristaps Porzingis
The second leg of this trip to the Old Continent then took Jason Kidd and Casey Smith, responsible for the physical preparation of the players, to Latvia, on the land of Kristaps Porzingis.
« I was able to spend time with [Kristaps Porzingis], we had dinner together and I got to see him training. But I was also able to observe him at home, in his environment, which is not frequent with Europeans. We had a really good time »Underlines the leader Hall of Famer, always as enthusiastic.
In difficulty during the 2020/21 financial year, and in particular in the playoffs, Kristaps Porzingis will be particularly expected in 2021/22. While the 26-year-old Latvian is not lacking in talent, he will above all need to feel good psychologically to let him express himself. Hence the upstream work carried out by Jason Kidd, on a human level …
« [Kristaps Porzingis] is an amazing person, not only as a player but also as a person “, Explains the ten-time All-Star, in words that are not unlike those of a month ago. ” I just found out that he loves combat sports, like boxing. You’re just looking to find out something new about someone when you go to their hometown. I was excited to do it and had a blast there. »
:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/TCRE2N4OEBDMBAUE65EJC425WM)