As the Los Angeles Lakers’ head coaching search seems to be coming to an end, Jason Kidd — who was Frank Vogel’s assistant for two years — is fighting in the Western Conference Finals after taking over at Dallas Mavericks last summer.
Kidd went through two unsuccessful spells as head coach with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks before joining Vogel’s staff in 2019. During his first season in L.A., the Lakers memorably won the 2020 NBA Championship in the Orlando bubble.
From then onwards, Kidd’s name was linked with several head coaching vacancies in the league until he finally replaced Rick Carlisle in Dallas — 10 years after he won the title as a player with Carlisle’s Mavericks back in 2011.
This year, Kidd’s Dallas knocked out the No. 1 seed, the Phoenix Suns, on the way to the Conference Finals. His successful first year as Mavericks head coach underlines how the once-great NBA guard has changed since his early coaching days, his assistant, Jared Dudley, told Fox Sports’ Melissa Rohlin:
“Night and day,” Dudley told FOX Sports. “His demeanor has calmed down. He trusts his assistants. He has learned from [former Lakers coach] Frank Vogel. His communication of being upset is different, like how he would get on guys if he lost his patience. He’s just more even-keeled, and he’s more confident in himself.”
Dudley had the front row seat to observe Kidd’s growth having played for him in Milwaukee and then in L.A. The former Lakers forward said Kidd proved he had learned how to keep his composure when the Mavericks struggled in the first part of the season.
And, Dudley thinks Vogel’s mentorship might also have something to do with Kidd’s newly-found even-keeled demeanor:
“Even when we lost four in a row, three in a row, he kept the same even-keel, which I think he might have gotten from Frank Vogel, because Frank Vogel was like that,” Dudley told FOX Sports.
Kidd and Dudley’s Dallas is 2-0 down in the conference finals against the Golden State Warriors. However, the Mavericks fell behind in each of the previous series this year, suggesting they could still find a way to even things out.
Kenny Atkinson, Terry Stotts & Darvin Ham finalists for Lakers head coaching job
Kenny Atkinson, Terry Stotts, and Darvin Ham have reportedly made it to the final interview round in the Lakers’ head-coaching hunt.
Despite his lack of experience as head coach, Ham is reportedly who LeBron James wants to take over in L.A.
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