Head coach Jason Kidd recently shed light on the remarkable turnaround of the Dallas Mavericks, who went from missing the 2023 playoffs to competing in the 2024 NBA Finals.
Jason Kidd candidly discussed the Mavericks’ strategy that turned their fortunes around, elevating them from the No. 11 seed last season to NBA Finals contenders this year. According to Kidd, the turnaround was all part of a deliberate plan.
“We had a plan. You guys just didn’t know it. We got D-Live and O-Max. It’s alright to fail, I’ve said that before. It’s how you fail. We were in the lottery and we got a piece that was huge in D-Live and then we got another piece in O-Max. It’s alright.
You can’t win a championship every year, but how do you build a championship organization? Dallas hasn’t been in that situation in a long time. That’s what Nico and Patrick are doing, and I am just happy to be a part of it.”
Kidd emphasized the critical roles of draft picks Dereck Lively and Olivier-Maxence Prosper in the Mavericks’ resurgence, but he also highlighted the importance of fostering a winning culture within the organization.
“The first year I was here, we went to the Western Conference Finals. We hadn’t been there in a long long time, but people acted like we were there every year when we weren’t. Now we’re starting to build something and it’s kinda fun to be a part of. It doesn’t mean you will win a championship each year. If you participate and play for one, that’s fun, and that’s what we’re trying to build here.”