COLOGNE, Germany — Luka Doncic held his right index finger up in the air, twirled it once, and that was all Jason Kidd needed to see.
“This is a great play,” the Mavericks’ head coach said.
What?
“They get a layup a lot of times.”
The official hadn’t yet handed Doncic the ball to resume play.
“Just wait.”
With 6:46 left in the first half of Slovenia’s EuroBasket game Saturday against Hungary, Doncic motioned from the sideline for a quick in-bounds pass and hit teammate Zoran Dragic, who broke straight to the basket, with an overhand dart just below the net.
Dragic’s look missed, but Kidd didn’t — all game.
Kidd allowed The Dallas Morning News to sit courtside with him during Slovenia’s game Saturday to give fans a unique view at how he watches, processes and analyzes Doncic’s play as one of the most cerebral players in NBA history who now coaches the 23-year-old superstar on the same track.
Always a step ahead, Hall of Fame point guard and protégé alike.
“It’s just easy for him,” Kidd said. “He makes all the right reads. As much as he sees things, he also knows how they are going to play him, so he already has the answer.”
In contrast to owner Mark Cuban’s fanatic sideline reactions, and Doncic’s own animations when he’s watching from the bench, Kidd approaches Doncic’s games with steady quiet.
For much of the first half Saturday, he sat across from Slovenia’s bench with his legs stretched and crossed in front of him, arms folded at his chest over a black Nike jacket bunched in his lap.
Only a couple times did he lean forward in his seat, elbows on his knees and iPhone in his hands.
He never raised his voice above the Lanxess Arena din nor did he change his stoic expression beyond a quick chuckle or smirk.
While his superstar gallivanted, skipped and snarled around the court in his flashiest game of the tournament, Kidd muttered calls and quips about the game moments before all but likely Doncic figured out what would happen.
“That’s a good play,” Kidd said midway through the first quarter, when Doncic handed a rebound to backcourt mate Aleksej Nikolic and circled his right arm in the air, jogging up the court.
He knew Doncic was about to head to the left corner and hunch over to catch his breath.
How is a possession likely to be successful if Doncic is idle?
Kidd recognized the set would allow Doncic to conserve energy for a few seconds but still draw attention from a Hungarian defender, who didn’t dare leave Doncic’s spot to help contest Nikolic’s first attempt or the put-back layup from center Mike Tobey.
“And they still scored,” Kidd said. “That’s what you want.”
Between a pair of Hungary free throws in the final moments of the second quarter, Kidd looked to his left at Mavericks director of player health and performance Casey Smith and guessed Doncic’s plan for Slovenia’s final look.
“7.1 seconds,” he said of the time left. “Stepback three.”
“I think assist,” Smith countered.
After Hungary missed the second free throw, Tobey tapped the rebound to Doncic, who took a couple stutter-step dribbles to pass halfcourt with about two seconds remaining.
Deep in his left-wing sweetspot, adjacent to the mid-court EuroBasket logo, Doncic picked up his dribble as he stepped back and to his left, unleashing a long 3-point attempt.
“Yep,” Kidd said.
Doncic’s most exhilarating moments often come as performative, inventive, in-the-moment decisions.
Those, not even Kidd can predict each time.
Midway through the first quarter, Doncic nutmegged a Hungarian defender, bouncing his dribble between the very confused young man’s legs, and continued sprinting in transition up the sideline, right past Kidd.
He tossed a one-footed, no-look alley-oop pass to teammate Vlatko Cancar at the rim and galloped to the end of the court in elation.
“Tough. Tough. Tough,” Kidd said with a laugh under his breath. “Not much you can do about that.”
Later in the second quarter, Slovenia connected in transition for a fast break up the floor.
Dribble to mid-court.
Then a pass to the high post.
“Here he goes,” Kidd said.
Then a bounce to Doncic, who cut in from the left wing and took off at the paint for a point-blank dunk.
This wasn’t as flashy as Doncic’s hang-and-staredown slam in the EuroBasket opener against Lithuania, which Kidd called “really impressive” off a post-up and spin move around former NBAer Ignas Brazdeikis.
But his second dunk in as many games — after just 15 all 80 Mavericks games last season — reinforced Kidd’s hope about Doncic’s biggest offseason focus: conditioning.
“He’s moving better,” Kidd said.
No doubt agile early in the third quarter when Doncic called for the ball at the top of the key, crossed up his defender and pulled up for a three.
“Easy,” Kidd said. “Tempo.”
Two possessions later, Doncic maneuvered a high screen and stepped back for another.
Kidd bit his lower lip and stayed quiet.
Two possessions after that, he fought through a faceguard for a logo swish.
Kidd didn’t blink.
The Mavericks’ crew in Cologne — Kidd, Cuban, general manager Nico Harrison, assistant general manager Michael Finley, Smith and vice president of basketball communications Scott Tomlin — visited for four days to watch Dirk Nowitzki’s German jersey retirement and to support Doncic.
Consider them VIP viewers more than meddling NBA controllers.
Kidd praised Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic’s strategy to pair Doncic with another starting point guard who initiates most possessions, but he never asked Sekulic to lessen his superstar’s workload or differentiate looks.
The Mavericks also didn’t give Slovenian coaches limits or guidance for how to manage Doncic’s workload during the two group-stage back to backs or the potential nine-games-in-18-days stretch if they reach the medal rounds in Berlin.
But Kidd appreciated that Slovenia’s blowout win over Hungary allowed Doncic to rest the full fourth quarter.
Otherwise, he might not have made the most perceptive observation of the night.
Throughout the game, as Slovenia rotated all 12 players, Kidd kept asking: “Which is Luka’s guy?”
At the start of the fourth quarter, Smith alerted him that No. 8, Edo Muric, was Doncic’s longtime close friend, the one whom he often involves in high jinks at practice, during interviews and off the court.
Moments later, Muric finished a long offensive possession with a corner 3-pointer, and Kidd immediately looked to the other end of the court.
“Luka’s happy,” Kidd said as he watched his star pupil grinning, shaking his arms above his head, towel falling off his shoulders as he leaned over the barrier in front of the bench.
“He’s so happy.”
