PHOENIX — Jason Kidd entered his fourth season with the Mavericks with his most balanced roster since taking over as coach in 2021. Now that the regular season is in full swing, it appears that Kidd’s rotation is also officially settled.
Kidd used a 10-player rotation in Thursday’s season opener that included Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, Naji Marshall, Jaden Hardy, Quentin Grimes and Maxi Kleber.
There were several questions during the preseason about the starting center spot, which could’ve easily gone to either Gafford or Lively due to their rim protection and lob-threat capabilities. The answer, for now, is Gafford. The backup point guard role was also uncertain, especially after Dante Exum suffered a right wrist injury during training camp. The injury was a blow to the Mavericks’ point guard depth, but they had two viable options in Hardy and veteran Spencer Dinwiddie. After Dallas’ season opener, it’s clear that Hardy has won the job as the lead guard off the bench.
Kidd has enough experience in the NBA — as a coach and player — to understand that rotations could change in an instant. His message to those who are currently on the outside of the rotation is simple: be patient.
“As much as we can have a plan, the basketball gods can have another plan,” Kidd said after Friday’s practice. “Just to continue to be a pro. Continue to keep working. Everyone’s gonna get a chance to play this season.”
Kidd used a creative way to disperse minutes in Thursday’s game. The first unit was comprised of Doncic, Irving, Thompson, Washington and Gafford. The second unit included Hardy, Grimes, Marshall, Lively and sometimes Kleber.
Kidd’s substitution pattern in the first quarter looked like this: Doncic, Irving, Thompson, Washington and Gafford were the starters. Quentin Grimes was the first player off the bench and checked in for Irving five minutes into the game. Lively entered for Gafford at the 6:17 mark, which is routine for Kidd to use his primary big men in six-minute bursts. Marshall and Kleber were also inserted into the game. However, instead of an immediate switch to Hardy, Kidd staggered Irving for Doncic to close the first quarter.
Hardy started the second quarter alongside Doncic and provided a significant boost on the offensive end for the Mavericks. He scored nine of his 11 points in the period and made three 3-pointers. His shooting presence helped stabilize the Mavericks’ offense, which was timely since it was his first game since signing a three-year extension with the Mavericks.
“I think he’s comfortable with his role,” Kidd said. “The ceiling and the sky is the limit for him. In the sense of growing, you’ve seen it here. The last three years, he’s added something. He’s doing everything we’ve asked on both ends. With the new deal, I think he’s comfortable.”
Dinwiddie didn’t check into the game until the 2:57 mark, but the Mavericks had a 13-point lead by then. While Dinwiddie was the odd man out for Game 1, that doesn’t mean that he won’t play a significant role this season. Kidd used several examples from last season to show that there will be opportunities for those who aren’t currently in the rotation.
“When you look at Exum, he was third on the depth chart last year,” Kidd said. “Derrick Jones [Jr.] was the last to be signed and they all started at some point, and helped us win games. I think we can also go back to looking back to what we’ve done in the past to let guys that are new here understand that they are gonna get a chance to play.”
Kidd also said Mavericks players who currently occupy a bench role will get a chance to play in the starting lineup due to either unforeseen injuries or rest nights, which could be attributed to the Mavericks’ trio of Doncic, Irving and Thompson.
“Guys are going to get an opportunity to start just because of health or rest,” Kidd said. “That’s just part of the nature of this business...The coaching staff has done a really good job of keeping guys ready.”
Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
