Jason Kidd makes his feelings clear after Dallas Mavericks add another 7-foot player amid AD's injury: "Need him to be himself"

The Dallas Mavericks added a backup big man amid Anthony Davis' recovery from his adductor injury. Mavs coach Jason Kidd recently made his feelings clear about the addition of Kai Jones, who has had stints with the Charlotte Hornets and LA Clippers.

In his pregame press conference, Kidd was asked about his expectations from Jones, who played 28 games for the Clippers this season. The Texas product was initially seen as a top prospect, but some questionable social media activity led to his release.

"We just need him to be himself," Kidd said, according to Mavs beat reporter Noah Weber. "Use his athleticism, play basketball, It’s basketball. …We're not gonna judge him on the mistakes, but what he can do on the floor, positive for us. Rebound, block shots, we get another 7-footer, which we need."

Kai Jones repaid Jason Kidd's vote of confidence with an excellent performance on Monday against the Sacramento Kings. Jones finished with 21 points and eight rebounds on 9-for-10 shooting. However, the Dallas Mavericks were blown out 122-98 at home.

The Mavericks' injury situation also went from bad to worse after Kyrie Irving suffered a left knee injury late in the first quarter. Irving drove to the basket, but his knee buckled as he collapsed to the floor. He was writhing in pain as his teammates worriedly surrounded him.

After some time, Irving opted to shoot his two free throws. He was carried to the charity stripe and knocked down both shots. It was reminiscent of what his mentor, Kobe Bryant, did back in 2013 when he suffered a torn Achilles.

Teammate Klay Thompson also had a similar scenario in the 2019 NBA Finals. Thompson tore an ACL but came back to the game to shoot two free throws.

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Jason Kidd comments on Dallas Mavericks' injury woes

Jason Kidd comments on Dallas Mavericks' injury woes. (Photo: IMAGN)

Coach Jason Kidd looked like a defeated man after the Dallas Mavericks' latest injury on Monday night. Kidd couldn't believe the Mavs' luck following Kyrie Irving's knee injury. Just when the team was starting to get healthier, one of their best players went down.

"Just unlucky," Kidd said, according to Mavs beat reporter Noah Weber. "Just hope that he's healthy and it’' not serious, but the injuries that we've had this season, guys are trying to hold it together.

"It seems every time we're getting close to getting someone back, someone goes down. ... We're running out of bodies here, but guys, keep fighting."

The Mavericks dropped to 33-30 for the season, remaining in 10th place in the Western Conference standings. It's next man up for Dallas, with Anthony Davis set to be re-evaluated later this week.