Kendall Marshall on Jason Kidd: ‘He’s a guy I always looked up to’
In a move to clear up as much salary as possible, the Los Angeles Lakers released former North Carolina point guard Kendall Marshall last week. The team had hopes of bringing Marshall back on the squad once he cleared waivers, but the Milwaukee Bucks had other plans as they scooped up Marshall off waivers yesterday.
Marshall will now move on from Los Angeles to be coached by former point guard Jason Kidd. Marshall recently spoke about working with Kidd, and his excitement about joining the Bucks franchise:
New Bucks guard Kendall Marshall says he is excited to join new team. "I like the young core they have," Marshall said.
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) July 22, 2014
Marshall on Kidd: "I think it will be big. He understands me. We both have a pass-first mentality. He's a guy I always looked up to."
— cfgardner (@cf_gardner) July 22, 2014
Marshall showed promise last year as he started 45 games for the banged up Lakers team. During that time he averaged 29 minutes per game, shot 40% from the field, averaged 8.8 assists, and 8 points as well.
While Marshall is not an electric scorer by any means, he has proven to be an excellent passer and very solid defender. Having Jason Kidd as his head coach will only make Marshall a better player in the years to come.
The question is how much playing time Marshall will ultimately get with Brandon Knight starting and Nate Wolters being the back-up. Marshall and Wolters could potentially be fighting for minutes throughout the season.