Grading Jason Kidd in his first season as Dallas Mavericks head coach

Grading 2021-2022 season for Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd: Adjustments

The best coaches make the right adjustments. Not just game to game, but quarter to quarter and second to second. They are optimizing their personnel and figuring out what works to give their team the best chance to win the game.

Kidd’s ability to adjust was on full display in the postseason. He let the regular season be a testing lab for what he wanted to do when the games mattered most, and that paid off in the playoffs. He found ways to adapt in every series as Dallas reached the conference finals for just the fifth time in franchise history.

In the Utah series, he ran the Jazz off the 3-point line and forced them to win with twos. Kidd also figured out how to force Donovan Mitchell into tough contest shots to decrease his efficiency.

Jason Kidd did it again against the Suns. Despite inferior roster talent, he figured out how to shut down both Chris Paul and Devin Booker as Dallas stormed back from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to knock out the top seed in the West. The Hall of Fame point guard did it all while taking zero credit. He gave it all to his players.

Grade for Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd’s adjustments in 2021-2022 season: A

Coach Kidd made fantastic adjustments throughout the regular season and in the first two rounds of the playoffs, but he could not find the formula against the Golden State Warriors in the conference finals. Still, it was an outstanding season where J-Kidd proved he is one of the best in the league at finding what works.