National Basketball Association

Milwaukee Bucks: What Should Be Expected Of Jason Kidd?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The Milwaukee Bucks struggled last season, but head coach Jason Kidd got his contract extended anyway. What does that mean for expectations on the young coach this season, and beyond?

Jason Kidd is in somewhat of a strange position as the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. Kidd has been the Bucks coach for two full seasons now: one of them was disastrous, one was magical.

Kidd was formerly under contract only through the coming 2016-17 NBA season, so it could’ve been possible for the Bucks to wait and see if he would lead the team to the playoffs, like he did in 2014-15, or let Milwaukee slump back to the lottery, like last season.

Instead the team chose to extend his contract this past June, adding three years and a reported $18 million to Kidd’s deal. He will now be the coach of the Milwaukee Bucks through the 2019-20 NBA season.

That extension was met with some raised eyes in Milwaukee–why give Kidd more money and years after the rough season the Bucks endured last year, when there’s one year left on his deal to allow Kidd to prove himself (or not?)

Those conversations are now moot, and not just because the deal has already been inked. Khris Middleton‘s hamstring injury and subsequent surgery has changed everything about the Bucks season, including the expectations placed on both Kidd and his young team.

If Milwaukee was supposed to fight for a low playoff seed with Middleton, it’s unrealistic to expect more than the Bucks clawing their way to even a chance at postseason play this season. Middleton really is that good.

Middleton’s injury essentially would’ve forced the Bucks to extend Kidd even if they didn’t really want to, which by all accounts they did. Ownership doesn’t want him to walk away, and unless Milwaukee loses 60-some games it’ll be hard to say the team underperformed this season.

Of course there’s more to a coach’s performance than simple wins and losses, but the Bucks have made strides individually under Kidd as well. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker and Khris Middleton all have become good if not great players under his tutelage, and we’ll always have the 2015 NBA Playoffs.

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Kidd has a lot to prove, but he hasn’t fallen flat on his face either. He had the chance to do either this coming season, before Middleton’s injury.

Now, without the Bucks most consistent and arguably best player, it would be tough for Kidd to come up short this season. His new deal means Milwaukee has bought into Jason Kidd as a coach, and that the team believes he can be the coach of a championship-caliber team.

Whether that’s true remains to be seen. Milwaukee Bucks fans won’t find out this season either way, but there will be signs shown in one direction or another.

Due to the incredible loss of Middleton, it might be hard for the Bucks to underwhelm. If Kidd can coach this team up enough to qualify for postseason play, he’ll have earned his extension and then some.

If not, he’ll still have time to prove he’s worthy of his new $6 million annual salary. With a new deal giving him long-term security and a roster largely assembled with at least his input, Kidd should be in an ideal position to prove his doubters wrong in Milwaukee.

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