Jason Kidd
Kidd on expectations in a weakened Eastern Conference:
"“I think when you talk about expectations that’s just part of the gig. And for us, we worked extremely hard to put ourselves in this position of the expectations, but being the second youngest team in the league we still have to take steps in the right direction. And that’s being accountable, playing hard, protecting your teammates and having fun. If we can do those things, it will take care of the expectations.”"
Kidd on continuity around the organization:
"“When you talk about continuity it starts at the top, and Dave Dean and Jon Horst have been here. You talk about John Henson being the longest [tenured] Buck. You talk about this young group being together for the last three years. So when you talk about continuity, hopefully it can give us an advantage.”"
Kidd on luxury tax in the future:
"“Looking to see what the team needs, and at some point you know we’re going to have to make that decision of is the time right to go over the tax, or is it still to keep developing and get as far in the playoffs with the team we have.”"
Kidd on searching for consistency:
"“The marathon is never smooth, no matter how talented your team. There’s always going to be a down period, there’s always going to be an up, and I think the good teams know how to handle the down. I thought for our group being young, and kinda new faces, they listened to not just the coaches, but also each other.”"
Kidd on the defensive scheme:
"“I think when you look at the makeup of our team, teams that win championships play both ends. Golden State and Cleveland, they know how to play, they’re older teams. Again, for us, there’s a lot of switching going on in the league so maybe we look at doing that a little bit more. With our personnel we can switch 1-through-5 pretty much. But we’re going to continue to be aggressive on the defensive end, and continuity helps with that because guys know what to expect.”"
Kidd on whether Giannis’ greatness will be defined by his jump shot:
"“I would say no. He’s already great. For some who say he doesn’t shoot it well, we all think he does shoot it well. Because he does so many other things great, we try to nitpick at what people can’t do, instead of supporting what they can do. And at the end of the day, he’s learning how to win at the highest level, and some of the greatest players who’ve played this game couldn’t do something. There was never a player who could do it all, and so if he’s the first to do it all, I’m happy I’m on his side!”"