Mavs’ Jason Kidd Speaks After Win vs. Timberwolves: Jan. 7, 2024

Mavs’ Jason Kidd Speaks After Win vs. Timberwolves: Jan. 7, 2024

Jason what do you think tonight and really for the last month or so is is gone well for you guys in the defense yeah I think just um again the flexman steals um ending in possession with a rebound even though in that first half we gave up 11 of them and for the

Game 18 but I think just the guys uh feel un comfortable of what we’re asking them to do um and then sometimes when there’s injuries you’re going to you know try to plug holes and guys are playing hard and showing that you know they can play both sides but you look at

You know Luca has got to take the challenge he’s doing that on both ends Kai’s competing we’re small and so it looks like we’ been a couple of steals um more than we were you know early in the year but I think just uh also I think we talked about around Christmas

We would start to you know get a little bit better in that area and right now we are can you talk um before the game you said this was Kai’s first time playing with the timber wolves how do you assess his play especially in that last quarter

Yeah just like the last time he played Minnesota here when off in the fourth quarter um you know I think uh again Kai was great luuka was great those guys set the tone um not just on the offensive end but the defensive end and then I

Thought the trust um for one another um to not just take turns down the stretch but to make plays for for their teammates and uh again Kai makes two big threes one off of a dp’s assist um he’s in the corner heck of a catch heck of a

Pass Big Time shot um but I thought the group being down six you know U was was a was a great test of character and trust and those guys did a great job of of hanging together and finding a way to win talk a little bit about the bench

Play yeah the the bench has been great um we have some guys who have started um now you know and so guys you know Hardy said everyone who played tonight you know helped us win um we got great looks um when you look at what Timmy has done

For us all year you know competing we’re asking him to play the four guard towns and sometimes go bear and so um the beauty of this team is guys are on on up you know to do whatever it takes to win and so we’re small but we’re competing

Um and we have a leader like luuka and Kai it helps what went into the decision to to Really lean into the more aggressive you know trying to force throw side would you think well I think um one when you’re small you got to figure out if you can’t

Protect the rim you got to do something and so uh the deflections uh being aggressive um understanding trying to not let Stars play sometimes uh and and TR trying to have the ball find other guys and then being able to rebound um the guys really have taken um you know

The key to that and understanding that that’s you know they’re following the game plan and uh the trust is there between the coaches and players but um when you look at D Jones um he hasn’t got anything you know you know written or talked about but just his play of

Defensively every night he has no choice but to to guard the best offensive player and he he never complains the beauty of this team a small thing tonight he had a great look at the three to to close the game um we come into the Huddle um maybe they’ll run a different

Play and Lucas said let’s run the same thing let’s get it to D Jones he’s going to he’s going to knock this one down and so um it’s just you know that’s what this this team is built on is uh Luca and Kai but our role players are playing

At a high level right now and D Jones is one of those guys defensively and offensively that we we count on do you think LCA responds better to the more aggressive style or like the defense that puts him in positions where he’s challenged and he has to you know post

Up or guard a you know cat posting up or when he does have the freedom to go try to chase a steel or block defensively yes yeah I think he does um are we going to ask him to do that for all 82 no um

But I think he is up for the challenge that uh he doesn’t want to just be known that he can play one in you know at a high level he he wants to be the complete player there and he’s done that by guard and Cat we asked him to do that

Tonight um we’ve asked him to guard you know an and everyone else it’s not that he’s going to shut down everyone but he’s going to compete you know he has pride and he knows that he can move his feet and um sometimes he he gets in the

Way and sometimes he doesn’t what have you seen from Dereck Jones you’re talking about him offensively in terms of attacking close outs he always had that big finish down the stretch tonight like kind of attacking off of short catches out of the pick and roll or attacking close the driving element he’s

Going to bring into your team right now yeah I think uh just seeing in training camp his ability to playmake um I think his reputation um is is pretty good in the sense of once he touches the key everybody tends to get out of the way um

And so if if I could jump or if anyone of us could jump like that um it’s an advantage and he uses it um at the right time um to be able to have the ability to jump and be able to uh find the open guys something that we we didn’t have

And so when you look at playing down the stretch uh defensively and offensively we don’t have the sub um what a lot of teams do and so uh I think D Jones is a great fit for us uh he’s comfortable you can see his feet are settled um he loves

Playing here he loves uh you know we don’t run any plays for him but he benefits from the Advantage Basketball which is a great thing for the guys that you don’t run plays for like where where like is that a specific player type where they can summon the energy to

Still be as active as engaged as he is and some of the other guys on the team are yeah we don’t have to n Play but for two people um and both of them get double teamed Luka gets double teamed and so if there’s a play it’s being able

To have IQ to play Advantage Basketball and being able to uh you know find the open man and that’s something that we’ve drilled um and we have guys who can do that at a high level right now and we’re going to see that you know um throughout

The season and hopefully in the play play offs but if you don’t have that it can be a struggle at times and so um just understanding the trust level that luuka and Kai have with DP and Jones and exam and those guys who are in those in

Josh who are in those situations that’s that’s a big trust because um a lot of times it could go bad and so if those stars are getting double teams they can take you know four shots or or do something at it ordinary so the trust is is Big you mentioned Jones is basically

Your defensive stop or he’s getting the toughest assignments what is it about him that that he’s able to succeed against you know whether it’s a two or three or four you know he’s able to to guard guys that are Star players spots I just think it’s his makeup of who he is

He loves the competition um if you look at his build he’s not um he’s not there’s not a lot of muscle um but he he loves the competition he loves to compete he loves to win if you ask him he loves to win he wants to be a part of something

Um is about the team um and so we couldn’t ask for a better role player um that plays at at the highest level for us again his rebounding his ability to rebound the ball for us and guard the best offensive player uh it’s big time and should be recognized Kyrie had a

Play tonight where he flew over the Wolves bench he had another play where he lost the ball to Edwards and be chasing down fouling how how much how does that impact a team when a guy like Kyrie gives that much effort yeah I think when you you look from you know

Kai coming back from the injury um you know he’s playing at a high level right now um and just understanding what what each game means uh for us and for him um right now offensively he’s playing at a high level but I think when you see Kai

Diving for the ball you see Luca diving for the ball um these are your two stars who are putting their body on the line for that possession and so it’s it’s actually great thing to be able to teach our our younger players what it means to compete and uh it’s not just about

Scoring but it’s about winning that possession right thank you co

Dallas Mavericks coach Jason Kidd spoke to reporters after the team’s 115-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 7, 2024.

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