Fansided

Power ranking NBA head coaches: 2015-16 season

By John Buhler

Oct 23, 2015; Manchester, NH, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures from the sidelines during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Verizon Wireless Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2015; Manchester, NH, USA; Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens gestures from the sidelines during the second half against the Philadelphia 76ers at Verizon Wireless Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 10, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd talks with guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) and guard Greivis Vasquez (21) during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 10, 2015; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd talks with guard Michael Carter-Williams (5) and guard Greivis Vasquez (21) during the third quarter against the Detroit Pistons at BMO Harris Bradley Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

12. Jason Kidd, Milwaukee Bucks

When Jason Kidd decided to leave the head coaching job with the Brooklyn Nets for another opportunity with the Milwaukee Bucks, many began to question what Kidd was thinking? Why would he leave the franchise that has his jersey hanging from the rafters to coach a long-forgotten Milwaukee Bucks team?

Kidd was clearly ahead of the curve, as the Nets are one of the worst teams in the NBA and the young Bucks have one of the league’s highest ceilings. This young nucleus of long-armed players helped Kidd get the Bucks into the playoffs in 2014-15. The Milwaukee Bucks were the Eastern Conference’s sixth seed and were the fourth best defensive team in the NBA last season.

Given the young nature of this team, Milwaukee did taper off a bit after the Brandon Knight trade with Phoenix and the Bucks sit at 5-8 on the year. Surprisingly, the Bucks are last in the NBA in defensive team rating (112.5) through their first 13 games. Growing pains were honestly expected with the young corps of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, and Michael Carter-Williams.

Could 2014-15 stand as an outlier for Kidd as an NBA head coach? Potentially, but if anybody is going to connect with this young Milwaukee Bucks team it’ll end up being Jason Kidd. The trick in all of this is to get Antetokounmpo to become a better outside shooter and have Carter-Williams become the ultimate student of Jason Kidd: a young, athletic point guard that can’t shoot.

Kidd has come a long way from throwing ice on the floor to get a timeout while he was head coach in Brooklyn. Hopefully the Milwaukee gig continues to work out for him.

Next: 11. Quin Snyder

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