The
Dallas Mavericks are now the sixth-best team in the Western Conference, which means they would avoid the Play-In Tournament if the regular season ended today. That's a great position for the Mavericks to be in but it doesn't mean that head coach
Jason Kidd isn't still tinkering with the starting lineup and rotation.
Kidd recently spoke about the state of the team and some things that the Mavericks might try in the days and weeks ahead.
"I think the rotation is in a good place," Kidd said. "Going in with the starters of D-Jones and Gaff, those guys have really helped our starting group."
Kidd then mentioned
Jaden Hardy and his contributions to the team: "Hardy has done a lot of good stuff for us…(Trying) to find a little more time for him.”
This is good news for fans of the team, as many people have called on Kidd to use Hardy more often, giving him crucial experience and play time before the postseason gets started. So far this season, Hardy is recording 7.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game for the Mavericks.
As for the aforementioned
Derrick Jones Jr., he has averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds, while
Daniel Gafford has impressed with 11.8 points and 7.5 rebounds since joining the team in February.
Of course, the team will continue to rely on
Luka Doncic and
Kyrie Irving at the center of all its plans. But Kidd is clearly trying to experiment, try some new things, and set the Mavericks up for the most amount of success in the upcoming postseason.