Jason Kidd is proving the Mavericks' problems were never about him

Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd has been the one constant in an otherwise turbulent season. He has been forced to take part in a balancing act that would have made Evel Knievel think twice. But the current myriad of challenges in Dallas has further cemented Kidd as one of the preeminent basketball minds in the sport.

The Mavericks have won four of their last five games, and coach Kidd is looking every bit like the basketball savant that he has always been known to be.

Kidd is the rare ilk of former superstar player turned successful NBA coach. This doesn’t happen very often. The best NBA coaches are often former players who were role players during their respective playing careers.

Think Pat Riley. Think Phil Jackson. And most recently, Steve Kerr or Tyronn Lue. These coaches were great role players in their heyday. They knew what it took to fight for minutes on a roster and how to be positive locker room influences.

Adversity is Jason Kidd's best weapon

Kidd was an anomaly of a player with his unique mix of speed, flair, and vision. Now he’s become an anomaly of a different sort as a coach. And that’s a good thing.

He never ran from the grind. Not as a player. And not now as a coach. And that grit and determination are beginning to seep out of the pores of each Maverick player. Kidd has been able find a balance of relatability and accountability that seems to resonate with his players.

Being a player and a coach presents two very different sets of challenges, and Kidd has risen to each one. Despite the Luka Doncic trade. Despite the Nico Harrison debacle. Despite the Anthony Davis drama. And despite Kyrie Irving’s extended absence, Kidd has been able procure just the right elixir to keep the Mavericks competitive and in the playoff hunt with a 6-4 record over their last 10 games.

Kidd has appeared to shirk conventional wisdom. Many basketball pundits believe the Mavericks should mail it in for the season. But Kidd must have a different mailing address, because Christie has eclipsed the 20-point mark in four straight games. This is the genius of Kidd.

Naji Marshall has continued to flourish under Kidd and is quickly becoming one of the top utility players in the league. He does whatever you ask him to do.

Whether it’s defending the opposing team's best player or adding some offensive punch to the Dallas attack, he’s been one of the few bright spots this season. Marshall is averaging 18.3 points per game in January while shooting a blistering 56.7 percent from the field. He capped off Dallas’s recent four-game win streak with a 30-point explosion in a win against Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.

Klay Thompson was looking lifeless throughout much of the season. But he’s shown signs of life and had back-to-back 20-plus point games during their recent four-game win streak. Kidd has made an effort to get him free on the perimeter, and Thompson is shooting a blistering 44.6 percent from downtown in January. Kyrie Irving’s potential return would give Thompson even more freedom of movement on the court.

Ryan Nembhard has seen his production dip in recent games. But it was Kidd’s belief in him early on that made him bench D’Angelo Russell, and allowed Nembhard to showcase that he belongs in the league and deserves more than a two-way contract.

Brandon Williams was in a similar situation just a year ago and has now become a consistent contributor in games with his dazzling speed and ability to get downhill into the paint. He’s now averaging 15.4 points per game on 54.2 percent shooting in January.

Kidd’s early-season Cooper Flagg point guard experiment didn’t work in the short term. Dallas fans were incensed. But it gave Flagg an early indication of Kidd’s belief in him. The dividends from that experiment may be yet to come, but it's obvious that the adversity in this moment helped him become more comfortable with the ball in his hands. The last player Kidd tried this on was Giannis Antetokounmpo. And we see how his career has turned out.

There’s a method to the madness. Kidd has his fingerprints all over this team. And he's shown that he has an innate ability to develop young talent while still garnering respect from veteran players. This bodes well for Dallas in the future.