For the longest time, Jason Kidd was the butt of many coaching jokes by NBA fans. Whenever a struggling team was looking for a new coach, fans would mockingly throw out Kidd's name on there. It's easy to see why: the ex-Dallas Mavericks point guard had lackluster stints as the head coach of the Nets and the Bucks.

So when the Mavs decided to hire their former championship point guard as the head coach, they were met by ridicule by fans. “Haven't you learned from the past?”, they said. “He's going to ruin Luka Doncic!”, they said. No one believed that Kidd could be the winning coach for the team.

Early on, it seemed like the fans were right in clowning the Mavs for signing Jason Kidd. The team struggled early in the season, as they failed to find any semblance of chemistry. Luka Doncic looked like a shell of himself on the court. It looked like the fans were right about their assessment of the coach.

However… things started to change for the Mavs. It was subtle at first, almost imperceptible even. However, one close look at the team, and you could see Kidd's impact. Despite their struggles, they have absolute faith in Kidd. He knew exactly how to unlock Luka Doncic's capabilities: by letting him run the show.

Kidd's biggest weakness as a head coach was his rigidity in his schemes. Far too often, he would force his teams to stick to whatever scheme he had for them. It's what eventually led to his downfall with the Bucks. However, with the Mavs, it was clear that Kidd has learned his lesson.

Early in the year, he tried to take the ball away from Doncic's hands more. However, when it became clear that that wasn't going to work, he started to defer towards the Mavs star more. The result: one of the most potent offenses in league history, led by a game-breaking talent by Doncic.

However, the starkest improvement of Kidd as a head coach was seen in their second-round series against the Suns. Facing a 2-0 deficit, all hope seemed to be lost for the Mavs. DeAndre Ayton, Chris Paul, and Devin Booker were tearing apart the defense. It was clear that something had to change.

And change something he did. He publicly challenged his star Doncic to be a better defender in the series. Before, his adjustments would stop there. But this time, Kidd knew that that wasn't enough. He changed up the Mavs' defensive scheme, keying in a little harder on their stars and limiting the play of Ayton. Most importantly, he didn't lose the locker room, and instead pulled the team together. (via Dave McMenamin)

Gone was the Kidd that tried drastic approaches on defense. Gone was the Kidd that would attempt to spill beer intentionally to get a miniscule advantage. Now, the Mavs have a coach that the players both love and a coach that knows what he's doing. That's a rarity in today's NBA, and they're lucky to have someone like him holding the fort.

Jason Kidd's second Dallas Mavericks campaign is a perfect example of a coach getting a second (in Kidd's case, third) chance and being successful with it. He learned from his mistakes, studied how to be a good coach, and applied them to his new team. With him at the helm, the Mavs might just earn their first title since Kidd won it for them as a player in 2011.