Jason Kidd's controversial coaching decision has Mavericks fans up in arms

Noah Weber

Dallas Mavericks v Atlanta Hawks / Kevin C. Cox/GettyImages

The Dallas Mavericks tipped off their season on October 25 against the San Antonio Spurs and ended up winning this game 126-119.

The big storyline from this game was Victor Wembanyama's debut, but Mavs rookie Dereck Lively II stole the show.

Lively II finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, one steal, and one block. He looked phenomenal in the pick and roll with Luka Doncic, and he could end up being this team's starting center for years to come.

Jason Kidd's controversial coaching decision has Mavericks fans up in arms

Despite Lively II starting in all four preseason games, he was not in the team's starting lineup. Neither was Josh Green.

Dallas decided to start Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., Grant Williams, and Maxi Kleber. Kleber was someone who struggled during the preseason, so seeing him in the starting lineup was a major shock.

Kleber did end up making some big plays in the second half and finished with six points and seven rebounds, but he likely shouldn't have been in the starting lineup.

This starting lineup frustrated fans because going with a small lineup made no sense, as the team was facing one of the tallest players in the NBA in Wembanyama. Starting Lively II seemed like the obvious move here, but he was in the team's closing lineup, and that's all that matters.

Dallas also started Jones Jr. on the wing over Green, and that frustrated some fans, but Jones Jr.'s size and versatility on the wing must have intrigued Kidd. Jones Jr. also matched up better with the Spurs' starting lineup, but it was quickly known that he doesn't impact the game as Green does.

Jones Jr. finished with one point and shot 1-3 from the field in the season opener while Green finished with 11 points and made two 3-pointers.

There will be plenty of changes in the lineup during the early regular season as Kidd tries to figure out the combination that works best, but fans were not happy with his opening night starting lineup, to say the least.

Dallas ended up winning the game and Kidd's starting lineup didn't turn out to be too detrimental, but it was not the lineup that the vast majority wanted to see.

We'll have you covered with all the latest news on Jason Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks this season, so stay tuned.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.