Why Jason Kidd Will Determine The Success Of The Young Bucks

By Ti Windisch | Jul 22, 2015

Jason Kidd is a fantastic coach, and is one of the key reasons why the Bucks were selected as the best young core in the NBA in a recent ESPN article. There is no disputing that. Without his starting frontcourt for the majority of the 2014-15 NBA season Kidd managed to win 41 games with largely the same roster that won 15 the season before.

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But there has been a weird, dark other side to coach Kidd. Rumors swirled that Kidd wanted to oust John Hammond and take over the GM spot entirely just as he attempted to do in Brooklyn, although they were denied entirely by the Bucks organization.

And I don’t doubt that those rumors were false. Hammond has always been a skilled yet controllable GM–there’s no reason to replace him when he’ll do whatever Kidd wants anyway. And so far it definitely seems like Kidd has had the lion’s share of the decision-making process.

The Bucks’ history of signings so far in the Jason Kidd era has been filled with players who have ties to Kidd in one way or another. Whether it be Kenyon Martin (a former teammate) or Jorge Gutierrez (who played under Kidd in Brooklyn), roster spots have been devoted to guys Kidd knows for most of his tenure.

I would be all for Kidd bringing in his former friends from other cities, if they were any good. Gutierrez and Martin were not. Granted they were only used as injury fill-ins, but still. There were other NBA players available to bring in, but Martin and Gutierrez got the jobs right off. Martin was eventually released and Gutierrez was for a time, but was later brought back at the expense of promising wing Chris Johnson,

But Kidd’s influence goes beyond just those two. It’s been made no secret that Kidd sees Michael Carter-Williams as sort of a Jason Kidd 2.0. He pushed–hard–to bring MCW to the Bucks at the expense of Brandon Knight.

Knight and Carter-Williams have different games. Knight was a shooter, and also a gifted scorer. Carter-Williams, like Kidd, has trouble shooting from long-range. Kidd believes Carter-Williams can improve, as he did.

The problem with that plan is that Jason Kidd is an all-time great point guard. Michael Carter-Williams might be, but he also might not be. He surely isn’t as good as Brandon Knight is at this point in time, although who knows what young MCW could eventually become.

The point is that these moves were made essentially by Jason Kidd, where they wouldn’t have been otherwise. Not all of them were necessarily harmful, but it is clear Kidd has a massive influence on the Bucks–they are his team through and through. There have been moves Kidd made that are immensely good for Milwaukee as well.

He was a big part of recruiting Greg Monroe, who is probably the best free agent the Bucks have ever signed. He will alter the entire franchise’s future. This is the exact opposite of signing Kenyon Martin, the good side of the Kidd control. If Milwaukee struggled again last season, there’s no way Monroe picks the Bucks.

Will the good outweigh the bad, and will the Young Bucks eventually win an NBA championship under Jason Kidd? They just might. With a strong starting five right now of Michael Carter-Williams, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker (hopefully sooner rather than later) and Greg Monroe, the Bucks are certainly strong up front.

But I highly doubt we’ve seen the last of Kidd’s roster control. And to win a championship you must have a complete team that’s ten or twelve men deep, not just a good starting five. That leaves filling out the rest of the roster, which means adding more players approved by Kidd. By 2017 this roster will consist only of Kidd-era players, if not sooner.

I’m not sure if the Bucks will or won’t win a title, but I do know that whatever the result, it will be because of Jason Kidd.

Most coaches face that kind of scrutiny, although I usually feel it is unfair. In this case, I don’t think it is. Kidd has taken on the responsibility of building and forming his team, with players he literally hand-picked. I think he’s ready for the responsibility, although I suppose we’ll all find out in the coming few seasons.

Although I don’t think he necessarily needs a championship for his tenure to be considered a success, whatever the results are in the next three to five years will all be because of one man more than any other. Jason Kidd and the Young Bucks are tied to each other, and they will either succeed or fail based on Kidd’s tenure as coach and decision-maker of the Bucks.

Next: Could The Bucks Finally Have An All-Star in 2016?

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