Jason Kidd isn't lacking for confidence in his views on basketball.
So when he had the opportunity to stand up for himself in a press conference Saturday night in his role as Dallas Mavericks head coach, he went all in.
Kidd was asked about criticism that has come toward the Mavs for using rookie Cooper Flagg at point guard, which is not the natural position of the lanky forward who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft out of Duke.
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The all-time great point guard Kidd was not happy with the premise of the question and went off.
"Criticism? That’s your opinion. You guys write that bulls---. That’s not — I’ve done this. I’ve played this game. I played it. I know what the f--- I’m doing. I don’t give a f--- what you guys write because you guys have never played the game. I build players, so I know what the f--- I’m doing. So if I take criticism, it only makes me better, because if I wasn’t doing it right, you guys wouldn’t be poking holes in what I’ve done."
Sounds a bit like that touched a bit of a nerve for Kidd.
The Mavericks started working on Flagg as a point guard during Summer League. With Kyrie Irving having gotten hurt last March and still not healthy, the Dallas options at that position are a bit limited.
They brought D'Angelo Russell in over the summer to try and fill that role, but early-season struggles by him limited opportunities. The Mavs also have speedy backup point guard Brandon Williams, but Dallas has been hesitant to give him a larger role.
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That leaves Flagg with all eyes of the defense on him even more than they would already be.
Certainly, Flagg has a versatile skillset that can allow him to succeed as the offense's main initiator. It just puts a lot on the rookie's plate.
It's hard to know if an alternate reality would've been better for the Mavs. Certainly seems like Kidd doesn't think so.
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