Klay Thompson enjoys playing for Jason Kidd

The Dallas Mavericks’ regular season begins Thursday, but sentiment is already high for newcomer Klay Thompson. He had a slow start to the preseason but finally got going in the second quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night, scoring 11 points and hitting three three-pointers. He is confident that once Luka Doncic returns, the chemistry will be right immediately and Thompson can capitalize on it.

Thompson was asked about his first impressions of head coach Jason Kidd after Thursday night’s game and the initial feedback was promising.

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“I really enjoyed playing for Mr. Kidd,” Thompson began. “First of all, as a child, I was a huge admirer of his playing, especially his mixtapes, which are some of the best of all time. The passes he threw can’t be seen to this day. I mean, Luka (Doncic) does that.” Good impression of that. He just seems like a great leader when he speaks, so like I said, I really enjoyed playing for him over the next few seasons of course.

Coach Kidd has been somewhat frowned upon in the past for his heavy rotations and reliance on Luka Doncic, particularly after the Mavs missed the playoffs in 2023, but in two of the last three seasons they have been to the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals .

Kidd’s on-court accomplishments speak for themselves: He finished second in NBA history in total assists, won a championship with the Mavericks in 2011 and led the New Jersey Nets to two Finals appearances in the early 2000s. His connection with the players has helped him achieve some success as a coach in Dallas.

This is only the third coach Thompson has had in the NBA, starting with Mark Jackson with the Golden State Warriors before Steve Kerr took over as their dynasty blossomed. All three of his coaches were former NBA point guards, but Jackson and Kerr didn’t have the same individual success as Kidd.

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