Luka Doncic ‘Can Rely on His Teammates’ More, Mavericks HC Jason Kidd Says

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Few people in NBA history know the value of relying on one’s teammates better than Jason Kidd, who is second on the league’s all-time list with 12,091 assists.

The new Dallas Mavericks head coach hopes Luka Doncic takes his advice and uses his teammates more in 2021-22.

“I don’t know if anybody told Picasso that he has to use all the paints, but I just want to remind him that he can rely on his teammates,” Kidd said, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “His teammates are going to be there to help him. I’m very excited to have this opportunity to work with a young Picasso whose paintings have been incredible up to this point and are only going to get better.”

Doncic acknowledged that Kidd is correct.

“I think there’s a lot of things I can improve on—off the court, on the court,” he said. “Obviously, this is one of them. I think he’s right.”

Improvement would be a worrisome development for the rest of the league. After all, Doncic already has a Rookie of the Year, two All-NBA selections and two All-Star selections in his first three seasons and is a triple-double threat every time he steps on the floor.

While he averaged 8.6 assists per game last season, MacMahon noted he also led the league with a usage rate of 36.0 percent. That total went to 40.4 percent in the playoffs.

If anything, using his teammates more during the regular season could leave him fresher for the playoffs as Dallas looks to advance deeper after losing in the first round the last two seasons.