Jason Kidd Scouting Report

Jason Kidd is no longer the player he was four or five seasons ago but he is still a rare true point guard in the NBA.
Passing
Kidd will find the open man in transition. Kidd's best passing still comes in transition. In the half court he has become more of a power point guard. He will rarely blow by anyone in the half court any more. He can still run the pick and roll but Jason Terry is arguably better and may be the primary reason why Kidd is not certain to be in the lineup in end game situations. Kidd even slowed down will still make the right pass and his court vision will remain. He still makes players better as he gives his teammates confidence that the ball will find them with Kidd running the offense.

Shooting
Kidd is a mediocre shooter however he is a decent stand still shooter. He is also an underrated three point shooter. Many of his threes are clutch and he has made about one and a half a game at a surprisingly above average 36 percent. The mystery is how Kidd has made less than 39 percent of his two point attempts, but again Kidd doesn't get to the basket like he did in his prime. More evidence is Kidd's mediocre 2.23 free throw attempts per 40 minutes. The average point guard rate is nearly four.

Rebounding
Kidd is the league's premier rebounder from the point guard position. His rebounds per 40 minutes is over twice the league point guard average on offense and defense. His rebounds of course also help trigger transition baskets.

Defense
Kidd is a poor individual defender against point guards at this stage. He does not have the lateral quickness to stay in front of the league's younger, quicker point guards. But he's still quick enough to defend most of the league's shooting guards. In that role his bull strength makes it difficult to post him inside. He will take the shooting guard and leave Terry to defend the point. Kidd remains an outstanding team defender. He's smart and understands when to come off his man to disrupt offense and force turnovers. His steals are well above league average.

Intangibles
Kidd is nasty. Kidd won't back down.
Kidd doesn't get discouraged if he is off his game. He is very competitive. He truly cares about winning to the point that he can be criticized for giving up on the Nets when it became clear to him that they were not legit contenders. Kidd has never won a championship so effort and migraines wont be a problem. He also has the incentive of an extension. The best way for Kidd to get this is to be a part of a Champion. Something that Kidd lacks on his resume despite over 100 playoff games.

Projection
Kidd will make Dallas better but his half court deficiencies on both ends and the fact that Kidd will not improve an already poor defensive squad will still mean the Dallas Mavericks will fall short of an NBA title. If the Mavericks can find a defensive enforcer than they will be better next year than now. Kidd will be a year older but because Kidd has adjusted to being more basketball player than athlete he still can be an NBA championship point guard.

Jason Kidd Post Plays
True generated Scouting Report