Why Jason Kidd put the ball in Cooper Flagg’s hands

So, how much do you know about Jason Kidd’s NBA career?

After contemplating briefly, 19-year-old Cooper Flagg respectfully admitted he wasn’t well versed on the Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer who is also the rookie’s head coach with the Dallas Mavericks.

“I’m not extremely familiar. I know he’s a legend, but no. I didn’t watch J-Kidd a ton,” Flagg told Andscape.

If Flagg ever decided to research Kidd, he would realize that his coach is one of the top point guards in NBA history.

Kidd was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. The 10-time NBA All-Star won a 2011 championship with Dallas and two Olympic gold medals with USA Basketball. The former Cal star ranks second all-time in NBA history in assists (12,091) and steals (2,684). A five-time All-NBA first-team selection, he had 107 career triple-doubles. The four-time All-NBA first-team defensive selection also played in the NBA Finals three times.

Kidd was also the 1995 NBA co-Rookie of the Year with the Detroit Pistons’ Grant Hill. So far, Flagg seems capable of following in his coach’s footsteps his rookie season. The No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA draft has averaged 20.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in 50 games, and Kidd said it has been “amazing” to see what the teenager has done this season.

Flagg, a Maine native, is expected to play his first professional game in New England against the Boston Celtics on Friday (ESPN, 7 p.m. ET).

From Duke to the No. 1 pick, there has certainly been pressure for Flagg to succeed as a rookie. Kidd had the same pressure and expectations when the Mavericks drafted him from Cal as the No. 2 pick in the 1994 NBA draft.

Kidd joined a rebuilding Mavericks team that won 11 and 13 games, respectively, the prior two seasons. A well-known All-American in high school and college, Kidd was viewed as a potential savior when he arrived in Dallas. As a rookie, he averaged 11.7 points, 7.7 assists, and 5.4 rebound and added a league-leading four triple-doubles.

“What I remember most is just all the games,” Kidd said. “We would play four [games] in five [nights], or seven in 10. I don’t think we have that schedule anymore. Then, every night there was an All-Star at that position at point guard. So, you had to get your rest and be ready to compete.”

Former Mavericks forward Popeye Jones, now an assistant coach on Kidd’s staff, fondly recalled playing with the 6-foot-4 point guard when he was a rookie.

“I just remember he was the connector,” Jones told Andscape. “I was shocked at how big he was as a point guard with the speed and pace he played with. He could control a game with his scoring, passing, rebounding and defense through segments of the game as a young player.

“I would just try to get the rebound and find him with the outlet pass. I couldn’t run with him. It was so beautiful to watch him push the ball on the break from behind. His head was on a swivel and he saw everybody and always knew how to make the right play.”

The Mavericks had a 25% chance of landing the No. 1 pick in the 1994 NBA draft after having the league’s worst record. The Milwaukee Bucks landed the top selection and used it to draft Purdue forward Glenn Robinson. The Mavs took Kidd with the second pick.

The Mavericks had a mere 1.8 percent odds of winning the 2025 NBA Draft Lottery. However, they stunningly won the lottery in the aftermath of trading All-Star Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Flagg was selected with the top pick out of Duke, where he was a consensus first-team All-American as a freshman after averaging 18.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game.

A stunned Kidd got the news last year while attending a board meeting in San Diego for luxury rental car brand Go Rental. He serves on the board of directors and as a brand ambassador.

“For us to get the No. 1 pick, we were all excited — the people from the Go Rental board and myself — because it was history. It was exciting,” the 52-year-old Kidd said.

While coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, Kidd played a big role in the early development of 10-time NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Kidd made the unique and daring decision to make Antetokounmpo a primary ball-handler and effectively a point guard during the 2014-15 season. The decision allowed the athletic 6-11 forward to initiate the offense, create matchup problems and improve his playmaking and passing, ultimately carving his path to stardom.

Kidd made the same bold move with Flagg entering his rookie season, and he was criticized in the media after Flagg averaged 13.4 points on 41% shooting with only 2.6 free-throw attempts per game in five contests in October.

But by December, Flagg unlocked his game, averaging 23.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals for the month. He scored 49 points against the Charlotte Hornets in a 123-121 loss on Jan. 29, and he had his most impressive month in February, averaging 27.3 points per game in four contests before suffering a left midfoot sprain.

“I’ve seen it before. A lot of people haven’t seen it,” Kidd said of putting Flagg at point guard. “People who are critical never played or [had] never seen it. I’ve seen it. Saw it in Milwaukee. Giannis is Giannis. People might have been critical there, too. If you’re challenging or trying to change or help someone become successful, there are going to be critics. You need critics because critics are not always right. That’s just the nature of the beast.

“But it’s basketball. There’s no more positions. What’s your skill set? Can you handle it? If you can handle it, you can play. KD [Kevin Durant] got the ball early in his career. Was [then-Seattle SuperSonics head coach] P. J. Carlesimo criticized for it? Yeah? Maybe. You have to go back and look, but it worked out.”

So far, Flagg said he has learned a lot as a pupil under Kidd.

“He’s given me a ton of stuff, but I think it was more just about me being myself. He’s just giving me a lot of confidence about just being myself and just letting the game come to me. He’s given me a ton of advice,” Flagg said.

Kidd said in December that the biggest difference between his rookie season and Flagg’s was that the latter had “future Hall of Famers” to play with in Anthony Davis, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson. The 1994-95 Mavericks had a short-lived young standout trio of Kidd, Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn that went 36-46.

However, the 32-year-old Davis was traded to the Washington Wizards on Feb. 5 in a nine-player, three-team trade. The Mavs announced Feb. 18 that Irving, 33, was out for the season as he continues recovering from torn left ACL surgery underwent in March 2025. Thompson, 36, is now a reserve sharpshooter for Dallas after winning four titles with Golden State.

Time will tell if Flagg compiles a resume that can compete with Kidd’s. By the sound of Kidd’s expectations for Flagg, he expects his prized rookie to be just as special.

“There’s no bar. There is no limit on this young man,” Kidd said. “Time and strength. Once he gets those two, it’s over.”

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