Jason Kidd has Milwaukee Bucks shocking the league
By Dylan Hughes
No one had high hopes for the Bucks this season. And yet, Jason Kidd has them thriving and in the playoffs.
If you say the Jason Kidd Brooklyn-to-Milwaukee switch wasn’t the weirdest thing that happened this past offseason, there’s a good chance you’re lying. What was weirder, though: Kidd believing he deserved more power in the organization after an underwhelming season seeing his roster, or the fact that Kidd thought the 15-67 Bucks were a better situation for him?
None of that matters now, but let’s rewind to summer before talking about how good Kidd has the young Milwaukee Bucks playing.
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It was deep into the evening on a summer night in late June, with free agency just a few days away. Everyone was looking forward to some big names moving around the NBA, but Kidd decided to steal the spotlight before anyone else had the chance to.
Tim Bontemps of the New York Post reported Kidd was seeking a higher position in the organization after just his first coaching season. With that little amount of experience, the Nets declined Kidd’s requests and allowed him to talk to other teams if he pleased. He took the opportunity, and was actually traded to Milwaukee for two second round picks.
This move would force the Bucks to fire then head coach Larry Drew, who had been there just one season after three seasons with the Hawks. Drew then joined the Cavaliers as an assistant.
The move to bring in Kidd was a risky one for the inexperienced Bucks’ owners. Not that Drew was a better option anyway, but with the roster constructed in Brooklyn for Kidd to win with, he didn’t do much. With a much less talented and experienced roster in Milwaukee, Kidd was set up to fail. And still, even with obstacles in his way, Kidd has done a very good job with the Bucks this season, who are 26-22 and 6th in the Eastern Conference after being 15-67 and last in the East last season.
Like what Steve Kerr has done in Golden State with Mark Jackson’s Warriors team, Kidd has simply gotten more out of his players this season than Drew could last year. After being second to last in defensive efficiency last season, the Bucks are currently second behind only those Kerr-led Warriors. On offense, they have gone from 26th last season to 17th this season.
To get a little more specific, the Bucks are only giving 97 points per game (7th), allowing 43.5 percent shooting from the field (4th), 32.8 percent from three (4th), and are grabbing 30.9 defensive rebounds per game (6th).
Oh, how could I forget to mention this: they have gone a good chunk of the season without second overall pick and hopeful franchise star Jabari Parker.
After Cleveland went for the home run in Andrew Wiggins, Milwaukee decided to go for the most NBA ready player available in the draft in Duke’s Jabari Parker. Parker mustered out 25 games before tearing his ACL in mid-December–something that shook and saddened the league at the time. This year’s rookie class has had trouble staying on the court, and after Parker went down for the Bucks, it seemed like the sky was falling. But still, they’ve held their own in the East and still own a playoff spot.
Since Parker’s injury, the Bucks are only giving up 93.1 points per game, which is good enough for second in the league behind Charlotte. On offense, the Bucks have scored 98.3 points per game–13th in NBA–since Parker went down. With Parker on the floor on offense, the Bucks were just a tad better at 99.2 points per game, but gave up 100.4 points per game on defense.
With Parker out, guys like Brandon Knight, Giannis Antetokounmpo, John Henson, and Khris Middleton have had much more touches to help further along their development while still helping the team play well. Veterans like O.J. Mayo and Jerryd Bayless have also handled the ball much more.
This season, Kidd’s Bucks may not make it further than his Nets did last year (second round) if they are even able to get there, but there is no doubt that this team is on the rise. With so much young talent and energy, beating these guys is no cakewalk like last season. And they seem to play with a chip on their shoulder, with a better road record than home (15-12 on the road compared to 11-10 at home).
As crazy as it seems looking back, Kidd would be front-runner for Coach of the Year if Kerr and Mike Budenholzer of the Hawks weren’t doing such an amazing job. So say it with me: In Jason Kidd We Trust.