Jason Kidd knows the point guard position very well and he is giving rookie Emmanuel Mudiay of the Denver Nuggets some high praise in this early season. The Nuggets and the Bucks battled it out Wednesday with the Colorado franchise coming on top 103-102. The future Hall of Famer was very impressed by the play of the 19-year old who finished with 16 points and 11 assists.
“At 19 years old, he’s very talented,” Kidd said. “He’s running the team, he’s not afraid to take a big shot. Some people have said that he can’t shoot, but he finds a way to put the ball in the basket. I think he enjoys to play the game, and I think for me, watching the tape on him is exciting. To see a 19-year old being able to run a team with his poise, and then also his skills. He has skills at the age of 19.”
Jason Kidd wasn’t done with the praise and when asked how Mudiay compares to him during his rookie season, he gave him perhaps the best compliment.
“He’ll be better,” Kidd said. “He’s better already. Being able to run an NBA team at 19 is not easy. You look at some of the greats — Magic (Johnson) was able to do it. And you’re looking at this kid Mudiay, who has the opportunity to do something special. So, I would encourage him to be better than me, and I think he will be at the end of the day.”
This is quite the contrast with Byron Scott’s comments who said they didn’t draft Mudiay because they didn’t think he saw the floor very well. If I was to take one of the two coaches’ expertise, I would go with Jason Kidd even though I think it’s very early for the comparisons. If you are Mudiay, it is a nice boost to the ego to see one of the elite point guards you grew up watching think so highly of you.