The Dallas Mavericks' play to begin the year has been uneven despite Luka Doncic's ridiculously torrid start to the 2022-23 campaign. Some fans are flummoxed as to why head coach Jason Kidd has limited Christian Wood's minutes off the bench and why he has remained stubborn with his trust in struggling wings such as Reggie Bullock and Dorian Finney-Smith.
But it seems as if Kidd is realizing that one Mavs guard deserves more minutes than he's gotten thus far, and with the performances like the one he turned in in a 130-111 rout over the Phoenix Suns, it's going to be difficult to keep him off the court.
Josh Green impressed yet again, as the third-year guard out of Arizona had yet another efficient performance off the pine. In 31 minutes of play to lead the team, Green scored 16 points on an incredible 6-7 shooting from the field, improving his already elite true shooting percentage to an even more robust 74.2 percent. The 22-year old guard is clearly showing that he is the efficient running mate Luka Doncic needs, and Jason Kidd even admitted that he just has to play more so he could develop his tools even further.
“If he continues to work and help the team, the kid has all the talents to be a superstar. He just has to play,” Kidd told reporters after the game, per Grant Afseth. “The more minutes he gets, the better he's gotten. […] He's great, man. The future is bright. He works extremely hard on both sides of the ball.”
Jason Kidd spent much of his post-game press conferences talking about Josh Green's development, who finished with 16 points and 5 assists: "The truth is the kid is really good, and if he keeps working, he’s going to make a lot of money.”
Kidd calls paying Green a "no-brainer." pic.twitter.com/XcnaU6TLRw
— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) December 6, 2022
Still, it doesn't seem like Kidd is willing to shake up the Mavs rotation entirely and start Josh Green in Tim Hardaway Jr.'s place. Nevertheless, Kidd expressed that he has immense trust in Green's decision-making and that once he's up for a new contract, he will get paid regardless of whether he's starting or not.
“I know everybody's into starting, but you can only start five. But in this game, you get paid by playing at the end. That's the truth,” Kidd added. “I've always had trust [in Josh Green]. We only ran three plays for the team last season [for] anybody who could dribble. [Luka Doncic], Spencer [Dinwiddie], Josh, and [Jalen Brunson].”
It remains to be just how high Josh Green could fly. One thing's for sure – he will have plenty of opportunity to cement himself as an invaluable sidekick to Luka Doncic as he continues to deliver for Jason Kidd and the Mavs.
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