After a phenomenal career at the University of California, Jason Kidd entered the 1994 NBA draft as one of the top prospects on the board, and one of the few with the potential to flip a franchise’s fortunes.
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Going into the 1994 draft, the Dallas Mavericks were in need of a player that could do just that.
The Mavs had just finished their fourth consecutive losing season, and won just 13 games in the 1993-94 season, one year after dropping a franchise record 71 games on the way to an 11-71 record in 1992-93.
With that in mind, as draft night approached, Dallas, holding pick No. 2 in the draft, looked hard at selecting one of the draft’s most sought-after talents.
Despite finishing with the two worst records in franchise history in 1992 and 1993, the Mavs were developing a track record for draft success. Dallas selected Jim Jackson at No. 4 overall in 1992 and Jamal Mashburn at No. 4 overall in 1993, and in the 1993-94 season, the two tied for the team’s scoring lead, each with 19.2 points.
Many believed that the gifted pass-first point guard from the University of California was a perfect fit alongside Dallas’ scoring duo.
“He’s just tailor-made for the game in the N.B.A.,” San Antonio Spurs personnel director Sam Schuler said of Jason. “Court vision, and great hands, especially at the defensive end, are hard to overlook. He has all the qualities, tangible and intangibles, that you want in a point guard.”
Though Schuler’s take wasn’t unanimous, and Jason certainly heard from detractors after departing Cal following his sophomore season, he also believed that he could be the missing piece and make an immediate impact in the NBA.
“Hopefully, the good things said about me will be true, about changing the league and adding a lot to it,” Jason said. “Everybody has an opinion. Some feel that I will be a flop. But if they win a world championship with me, I’d like to see what those same people have to say. I’m ready to play in the N.B.A.”
Dallas agreed with J-Kidd, and with the No. 2 pick the in 1994 NBA draft, the Mavs pulled the trigger on the big 6-3 point guard with an even bigger ceiling.
Jason’s prediction of the team drafting him winning an NBA title with him eventually came true, though that didn’t happen until much later on, in his second stint with the Mavericks.
But he also had an immediate impact during his first stay in Big D, something he foreshadowed on draft night.
“Coming to Dallas, I see the same opportunity that I had at Cal,” Jason said. “Nobody really recognized Cal’s talent. I know Dallas has the same opportunity with Jimmy and Jamal and hopefully with myself. So now I hope I can do the same thing I did at Cal at Dallas.”
That outlook was spot-on. Jason started 79 games for the Mavs as a rookie and averaged 11.7 points, 7.7 assists and 1.9 steals per contest on his way to co-Rookie of the Year honors at the end of the season.
Mashburn and Jackson also benefitted greatly. Each saw their scoring average skyrocket, as Jackson averaged a team-high 25.7 points and Mashburn was just behind at 24.1 PPG.
Perhaps most importantly, after failing to win more than 28 games in each of the previous four years, the Mavs finished 36-46, just a few games shy of a playoff berth.
In short, the young trio dubbed “Three J’s” was a massive success in their premiere year together.
Unfortunately, the 1994-95 season was the only full year that J-Kidd, Mashburn and Jackson would get together.
The following season, that trio was without one of its J’s for almost the entire year as Mashburn played in just 18 contests for the Mavs, and was limited by injury throughout the season.
J-Kidd did his best to keep the Mavs afloat while Mashburn was out and nearly averaged a double-double, at 16.6 points and 9.7 assists per contest.
His progress earned No. 5 the first of his 10 trips to the All-Star game.
However, without one of their top scorers, the Mavericks regressed, finishing 26-56.
Still, in his first two years in Dallas, Jason showed the type of immediate impact he could make for a franchise and it drew the attention of teams across the league. Midway through the following season, one of those teams pulled the trigger on a blockbuster deal to bring Jason in to help their team.
Just like that, J-Kidd was off to his next destination—the Phoenix Suns—to paint a new picture for a new franchise.
