The Dallas Mavericks underwent a major facelift over the offseason.
Gone is former head coach Rick Carlisle, who served the organization since 2008. In is Jason Kidd, a very controversial coach who brings with him some very big pluses and a lot of very notable minuses.
This week, Kidd met with the media for the first time as the new Mavs coach.
One topic he ultimately broached was Luka Doncic – and the specific area he’d love to see him improve in this year.
“A young Picasso,” Kidd said of Doncic, per ESPN NBA insider Tim MacMahon. “… I don’t know if anybody ever told Picasso that he had to use all the paints, but I just want to remind him that he can rely on his teammates, that his teammates will be there to help him.”
Doncic, for his part, took the criticism in stride.
“There’s a lot of things that I need to improve on — on the court, off the court. This is one of them,” Doncic replied. “Obviously, he’s right.”
Doncic’s tendency to over rely on himself was most apparent last season in the Mavericks’ first round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite him averaging 35.7 points, 10.3 assists and 7.9 rebounds, Dallas ultimately fell in seven games.
Part of the problem, clearly, is that there isn’t enough talent around him. Doncic and the Mavericks’ second-best player absolutely hate each other, so obviously there’s no trust there. Beyond that, the front office has been unsuccessful in finding any big name talents who actually want to play alongside Doncic and failed to deliver on every blockbuster trade to date.
A Chiefs player couldn’t stop checking out the owner’s daughter yesterday. The photos speak for themselves. https://t.co/Dbk5ifxWwi
— Game 7 (@game7__) September 27, 2021
Doncic definitely needs to trust his teammates more, but he also needs some better teammates.
Will the Mavericks be able to find them for him? Time will tell.
Related: Kyle Kuzma Bashes Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal
A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
