The Mavericks have 16 guaranteed contracts. Barring a move before the cutdown date before the regular season begins, they will have to trim one of those players to get down to the 15-player maximum.
They also have a pair of two-way rookie players, Eugene Omoruyi and JaQuori McLaughlin, in addition to non-guaranteed players Feron Hunt and Carlik Jones. All are rookies trying to find a home on the roster.
It makes for a competitive situation that Jason Kidd said is giving the coaching staff a lot to think about.
“They’re making it hard on us,” Kidd said. “Those four are playing at a very high level. They’re going to make it tough on us.
“We plan on keeping those guys to the end. They’re giving it their best and they’re putting a lot of pressure on us in management to make a decision, which is a healthy thing to have and the competition is great.”
An example of their level of play came late in the third quarter when Hunt slashed to the basket from the weak side and put in a follow dunk after a miss by Boban Marjanovic. Hunt finished with six points and two of the Mavericks’ five steals.
All four of the rookies played meaningful minutes in the second half against Utah.
“The competition has been pretty good,” said Jones, who had 13 points in 14 minutes. “That’s how the coaches want us to be. I just look at it as having fun. I’m really enjoying the process. But the level of competition is pretty high. I think it brings out the best in everybody.”
Making sense of COVID times: Like everybody else, Kidd has had to adapt in the COVID-19 world.
In a way, the fact that he sat Dorian Finney-Smith and Dwight Powell in the preseason opener Wednesday night was an extension of that ongoing adjustment.
“It goes with the COVID,” Kidd said. “There’s going to be situations sometimes when tests come back positive and it’s a false positive and we’re without a player. We got to believe we can still win that night.”
It’s just another layer of concern that the coach has to be aware of. And Kidd doesn’t see it changing. He said it will be up to everybody to stay ahead of the curve.
NBA teams are aware of their responsibility to provide a season’s worth of entertainment to fans worldwide.
“COVID is here to stay. Unfortunately,” he said. “And we have to deal with it. We talk about rule changes – the athletes make the adjustments.
“And I think for each organization, they’ve all made the adjustment to COVID. We’re trying to protect and save lives. But also we know we have a game to play and try to play under a safety protocol so that our fans can enjoy it.”
Snyder has praise for Kidd, Mavs: Utah coach Quin Snyder is now one of the longest-tenured coaches with the same team, in his ninth season with the Jazz.
He said he has great respect for Kidd, as he did for Rick Carlisle, who left the Mavericks after 13 seasons.
“Coach Carlisle obviously had so much success here,” Snyder said. “I know Jason personally and have a tremendous amount or respect for him. Outside of that, for us, I worry about what I’m doing.”
That said, he added: “I know they’re going to be good. They got a great player in Luka (Dončić) and great supporting cast and Jason is someone that’s not only played at the highest level in the league, he’s got head coaching experience, he’s been part of a world championship team with the Lakers and there’s also familiarity he has in this organization.”
Exciting times: As Kristaps Porzingis ran out of the locker-room tunnel toward the court, he was stopped by Mavericks’ CEO Cynt Marshall, who was decked out in a blue suit with a pink shirt and matching shoes in recognition of breast cancer awareness month.
The two exchanged a hug – Marshall with a mask covering her nose and mouth – and she said: “My guy, I’m so excited for this to begin.”
“Me too,” Porzingis said as he jogged away toward the court for some pregame shooting.
Defense requires unselfishness, too: Kidd got an interesting question before the game about what his style is and how it’s changed after a couple years as an assistant coach under Frank Vogel with the Los Angeles Lakers.
His answer, however, could not have been more to-the-point.
“Be unselfish,” he said. “(Why) try to complicate things. Basketball is really simple. Be unselfish and something good will happen. When you talk about the past Mavs teams, they’ve been very unselfish. They’ve broken records on the offensive end. They cause a big problem.”
Kidd wants to keep that, obviously. But he says being unselfish applies at the defensive end, too.
“It (his system) is more predicated on the defensive side of the ball, having that team defense, being able to help one another,” he said. “No one can stop anyone one-on-one in this league. They’re too talented. And so, a system is needed defensively so there’s trust built and that there’s help. And that’s what we’re working on right now.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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