Jason Kidd officially traded in his jersey for coach’s apparel Sunday afternoon in Orlando.

After 19 NBA seasons on the court, Jason made his debut on the sidelines as coach of the Brooklyn Nets’ summer league squad as they took on the summer league team of the Detroit Pistons in the first day of the Orlando Summer League inside the practice gym at Orlando’s Amway Center.


Jason Kidd coached his first game for the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in the Orlando Pro Summer League.

Clad in a white Nets polo and shorts, Jason began his on the job training for the role of Brooklyn Nets coach more than 1,000 miles and three months from the bright lights of Barclays Center and his official coaching debut. It was a sight that will take some getting used to for players, fans and even reporters. One such reporter asked Coach Kidd if he felt normal in the coaching seat.

“Didn’t it look normal?” Jason replied.

“I wasn’t nervous,” he added later. “Being here in this arena, I’ve been in a lot of them. It’s old hat, in that sense. I’m just not playing. I’m trying to put guys in a position to be successful.”

Unfortunately for Coach Kidd, his young team committed 23 turnovers and lost 76-67 to the Pistons in that debut. Jason noted afterward that the game was a stepping-stone for himself, his coaching staff and the players.

“We’re working on it,” he said. “Our staff and our guys tried to execute the game plan. But this is summer league. We missed some shots that guys normally make. We got the ball in the paint…. That was our talk before the game, to get the ball in the paint. Now we just have to work on finishing.”

Tyshawn Taylor led Brooklyn with 17 points, while 2013 first round pick Mason Plumlee had a double-double with 10 points and 14 rebounds. Both players were complimentary of their new coach after his first game.

“I think he did a great job,” Taylor said. “He was positive the whole game and I think that helps us. We keep a positive attitude, it makes us want to come out and play hard.”


While he coaches, Jason is learning from assistants, like John Welch, who has been a NBA assistant for 10 years (Getty Images).

Plumlee was asked to compare Coach Kidd’s style to his most recent coach, Duke University coaching icon Mike Krzyzewski. Plumlee said Jason, who credits Krzyzewski and his time alongside the coach as a member of Team USA with much of his coaching acumen, compared well to Coach K.

“Both guys are confident. When they say something, you don’t have to question it,” Plumlee said. “You know they know what they are talking about. It comes from tons of experience. I loved playing for Coach K and I’m sure I’m going to love playing for Coach Kidd. It’s weird saying that — Coach Kidd.”

Taylor believes he can learn a lot from Coach Kidd as he competes for the Nets backup point guard job behind Deron Williams.

“A guy like Coach Kidd is someone like me wants to gravitate to,” Taylor said. “I know he’s done a lot at a high level. Everything is soaking in.”

During his coaching debut, Jason relied on assistant coach Lawrence Frank, who held the clipboards, drew up plays during timeouts and directed players on the court. Meanwhile, Coach Kidd was very vocal and animated on the bench, encouraging his young players in the process.

“I’m going to lean on my staff,” Jason said. “Not just L-Frank, but

[John] Welch will get in there with the board a little bit. A lot of guys bring a lot to the table. But this is for me to learn and be able to deal with a shorter timeout clock. So once I get comfortable with that and be able to get everybody’s name in the right spot, we’ll be fine.”


Coach Kidd lets assistant Lawrence Frank take the lead in the huddle and learns by watching (Getty Images).

While he was still feeling things out in the first half, Jason’s competitive side took over in the second half. With 2:23 remaining in the fourth and the Nets trailing by four, Coach Kidd told his players to start hacking Pistons center Andre Drummond, a below average foul shooter, which is a rare sight in the NBA Summer League.

“I wanted to see how we would handle the situation,” Jason said later.

But the strategy did not work out because the referees did not pick up on what the Nets players were trying to do. As Jason attempted to inform the referee of his strategy, he crossed the half court line. The referee responded by hitting Coach Kidd with his first technical foul as a coach.

“I got excited, but as a coach you have to stay even keel about some of the plays. You get a little upset when something doesn’t go right,” he said. I’ve seen some coaches on be all the way down other end of the floor. I can’t follow their lead in that aspect. I learned very quickly where the [coaching] box is. I deserved the T, but I was trying to protect my guys cause they were doing the right thing.”

Taylor appreciated the way his coach attempted to back up his players with the referee.

“He wasn’t even intense for that tech, he didn’t do anything for that tech,” Taylor said. “He’s fighting for us, so we just gotta go to war for him.”

According to Jason, it’s all part of the learning process. He made a rare move by deciding to coach the Nets’ summer league squad, a responsibility that usually falls on an assistant coach on the staff. But he believes the experience is important so that he can be more comfortable in the coaching chair when it comes time for the Nets to open up their season in the Barclays Center this fall.

“As a coach, you’re going to learn every day from the good and bad. My job, come training camp, is to get settled with the guys we have on the team. Every coach in this league, I think, learns every day from a game,” he said. “This is summer school for me. Hopefully I’m going in the right direction.”

NEXT UP
The Nets Summer League returns to action on Monday afternoon at they take on the Miami Heat squad in the second of four games they will play at the Orlando Pro Summer League.

Tip-off of their second game is scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT and the game can be seen on NBA TV.

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