“First of all, his transition from player to coach didn’t surprise me. He literally played his last basketball game, and he became a coach. It’s incredible, and it’s a real pleasure to watch it.”confided VC, who remembers in particular his ability to decipher the game and take the right action at the right time. “Nets coach Lawrence Frank and Mavs coach Rick Carlisle were always reassured when J-Kidd spoke or had an idea for a system. He knew what options were available to him based on what he had seen earlier from the game and the other players. He put us in the best conditions to succeed, and I knew he was going to be a successful coach.”
Cooper Flagg fireproof
For his part, Vince Carter also enjoys his role as consultant, and did not miss the opportunity to question Jason Kidd on his way of managing and developing the number 1 of the last Draft, Cooper Flagg. The former league outfielder noticed that his former teammate did not hesitate to put Cooper Flagg in a playmaker position or at least as the one carrying the ball, especially at the end of the game.
And it turns out that VC was right, since it was his coach’s desire to get him used to taking responsibility under pressure with the ball.
“Dude, I see you did some homework!” J-Kidd said to his former teammate. “When we talk about Cooper, we just give him the information and see how he digests it. I know it’s not a very popular thing, but having him as a point guard, it’s something we should have looked at sooner or later. Because some people will say to me one day: ‘Why didn’t you do it sooner?’ (…). By putting him in this position, we make him understand that success is the last six minutes of the match. And when we get to the last three minutes, the best players will have the ball in hand. And so I want to see him with the ball in hand as soon as possible. Sometimes we fail, sometimes we succeed (…). We have an 18-year-old kid playing against the best in the world, and I want to see how he does. And I think he did a great job, even if his stats say something else.”
