Former Milwaukee Bucks Player Sounds Off On Jason Kidd
Former Milwaukee Bucks player Michael Carter-Williams recently sounded off on then-Bucks Head Coach Jason Kidd. Carter-Williams played for the Bucks during the 2015-16 NBA season, when Kidd served as the Bucks’ head coach from 2014 to 2018. Kidd’s tenure with the Bucks was a rather mixed bag, so Carter-Williams’ recent statement shouldn’t come as a surprise. Here’s what you need to know to make an informed decision.
Former Milwaukee Bucks Player Sounds Off On Jason Kidd
Carter-Williams recently sounded off on Kidd when the former played for the latter’s team in 2015-16. Carter-Williams was traded to Milwaukee in a three-team trade, including the Phoenix Suns, on Feb. 19, 2015. The Suns received Point Guard Tyler Ennis and Miles Plumlee.
Carter-Williams’ stint with the Bucks started strong, with averages of 12.8 points, 6.8 assists, 4.5 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.0 steals in the first four games. He subsequently missed the next five games with an ankle injury but returned only to be temporarily benched before eventually having the best game since the Bucks’ season opener.
A torn labrum in his left hip ended Carter-Williams’ season in Milwaukee. Carter-Williams averaged 11.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.5 steals with the Bucks that season. Fast forward to the present, when Carter-Williams quoted a post on X, formerly Twitter, with “I’ve been trying to tell people this for 10 years now… truth always prevails.”
The original post read, “Years ago, a Nike exec told me that JKidd is gonna get fired from every coaching job he gets because, for as good as he is at X’s & O’s and player development, over time he becomes insufferable and his personality starts to weigh on people.”
Carter-Williams hasn’t followed up since quoting the post, so it’s unclear what prompted him to reveal another side to Kidd. However, Carter-Williams’ revelation might be a part of a larger issue affecting the NBA.
Former Bucks Player On His Time With Kidd
Kidd arrived in Milwaukee in 2014, a year before Carter-Williams followed suit. The latter averaged 12.4 points, 5.3 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game in his two NBA seasons with the Bucks, so the surface-level appearance would assume that he enjoyed playing for the latter, who is a former fellow guard.
The truth appears to be that Carter-Williams didn’t really enjoy playing for Kidd, despite Kidd’s star-studded status as one of the most decorated point guards in the NBA. The former had ups and downs but showed the public glimpses of the player he could become.
The Bucks parted ways with Kidd in 2018. Kidd’s four-year tenure in Milwaukee ended with a 139-152 record. The Bucks’ relationship with Carter-Williams also ended, so Carter-Williams’ recent echoing of Kidd’s head coaching style has sparked conversation in recent days.
Kidd’s Outlook
Aside from receiving the $40 million owed in his contract, Kidd’s outlook in the NBA appears to be unclear. Kidd and the Dallas Mavericks mutually agreed to part ways, just days after the Mavericks hired Masai Ujiri as their new team president and alternate governor.
Ujiri, 55, reportedly decided on a fresh start in Dallas with a new head coach to better match his blueprint. Kidd subsequently became a free agent in the coaching market. If he decides to continue coaching, his next coaching gig could depend on teams’ needs and the available opportunities.
