It's no secret that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo loves his former head coach Jason Kidd. The Bucks star went to bat for Kidd when his coaching seat became as hot as an incinerator, and Antetokounmpo defended Kidd multiple times after the Bucks decided to let him go for good. Even five years after the Bucks' firing of Kidd, Antetokounmpo's admiration of the Hall of Fame point guard seems to not have waned even for a bit, which only bodes well for Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.

Speaking on the 48 Minutes podcast on Bleav, the Bucks star had some high praise for the Mavs head coach, which should help, at least for a little bit, comfort fans who have issues regarding Kidd's coaching.

“Genius,” Antetokounmpo said when asked to describe the Mavs head coach using one word.

This proclamation isn't exactly an easy thing to believe for Mavs fans who have become infuriated towards Jason Kidd's coaching. Some Mavs fans have grown frustrated that Kidd keeps on starting Dwight Powell while some fans are annoyed when they notice that Kidd takes way too long to make in-game adjustments. Kidd also seems to be so cool and collected even in the face of adversity, which some Mavs fans perceive as his lack of understanding of the urgency regarding the situation they're currently facing.

Alas, coaches can only play the hand they have, and the Mavs' personnel during the 2022-23 season didn't exactly help matters at all for both Jason Kidd and Luka Doncic. The Mavs did not have the necessary pieces to put up a quality defense, which was their ultimate undoing as they missed out on the playoffs a mere season after making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals.

But during the 2021-22 season, Kidd's coaching knowhow was in full display. It was him and the entire Mavs coaching staff that loaded the strong side against the Phoenix Suns in the 2022 NBA playoffs, making it difficult for the likes of Devin Booker and Chris Paul to get to their spots, culminating in a 33-point beatdown in Game 7.

Perhaps with a much better roster during the 2023-24 season, Mavs fans could better recognize the coaching “genius” Giannis Antetokounmpo is talking about.