In the 2000s and early 2010s, Jason Kidd was the model of what an NBA point guard should be in a traditional sense. He dictated a fast and steady pace, slowed things down when needed and got the ball where it needed to go, and he was a floor general and almost a coach on the floor.
He was an effective player very deep into his 30s, and he finally got his world championship ring in 2011 as a member of the Dallas Mavericks, the team he is now the head coach of.
During the 2020 season, Kidd got another ring as an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Lakers, which gave him an up close and personal look at a late-career LeBron James. Before his Mavs visited the Lakers on Wednesday, he marveled at how well James is playing at age 38.
Via Sports Illustrated:
“Yeah, I’m jealous,” Kidd said before Wednesday’s game. “I’m for sure jealous of what he’s able to do at this point of his career. He looks like he’s 25 or 27, somewhere in between there.
“Listen, he looks great. But I think with the understanding of being around LeBron, he takes care of his body. Everybody talks about his body, but I think it’s more his mind,” Kidd said. “Just being young, he doesn’t feel old. He has a lot of energy, he loves the game of basketball, and he’s always out to prove that he can play at a high level or prove someone wrong. And he’s doing that right now. He might play to 50 if he wants.”
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer not only takes great care of his health, but as Kidd pointed out, he also works on his game during the offseason.
“He’s a champion. His IQ is off the charts, he knows what people are doing before they do it,” Kidd said. “But I just think every summer, he’s always trying to add something to his game, and he’s played for 50 years now. It’s just amazing that he could do 50 different things each summer.”
In 15 games this season, James is averaging 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.7 assists a game. What is most impressive is the fact that he’s shooting 57.8% from the field and 41.4% from 3-point range.
