Jason Kidd Doesn't Have to Score for Dallas Mavericks to Win

It's no secret that the Dallas Mavericks are one of the oldest teams in the NBA, and statistically it's beginning to show for many of Dallas' star players this season.

Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Terry and Jason Kidd have all seen significant drops in their numbers, and the team has struggled through the first 21 games.

When it comes to the wily floor general Jason Kidd, his career-lows in scoring and assists do not necessarily mean that he can't still be major contributor for the Mavs.

Despite being a crisp 38 years young, J-Kidd is still one of the best facilitators in the game.

When Kidd is in the game, the team's ball movement is significantly better than when Roddy Beaubois or Delonte West is in at the point. Like a quarterback in the NFL, he sees the floor quite well, and is still able to deliver passes with pin-point accuracy.

Last season, Kidd ranked fifth in the NBA in "pure point" rating. PPR is a formula used to grade players on their perceived skill at running the point guard position in the traditional manner. The formula values a low number of turnovers, a high number of assists and little else.

Kidd's passing is not the only thing he brings to the Mavericks, though. He currently ranks third all-time in three-point shots made, behind Ray Allen and Reggie Miller. Kidd has seen his three-point numbers drop recently, but he will still almost certainly knock them down if left wide open.

At 6'4'', Kidd is one of the best rebounding point guards in recent memory. Just last year Kidd was second among point guards in defensive rebound rate. In his prime a triple-double was no surprise for him. Obviously he won't be getting those sorts of numbers anytime soon, but even now he still helps Dallas out on the glass.

He's lost a bit of his agility in recent years, so guarding guys like Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul is almost out of the question for Kidd. However, due to his size, Kidd has had success guarding the other teams' wing scorers. In fact, Kidd did an excellent job in last season's NBA Finals while guarding both LeBron James and Dwayne Wade.

What may be Jason Kidd's greatest asset, though, is his experience and leadership.

NBA teams need veterans like Kidd, Terry and Nowitzki to provide guidance, and to lead by example.

He's been around the game for more than two decades now, and the basketball IQ that comes with that is simply incredible. Younger guards like Beaubois and Domonique Jones can learn a lot from having a future Hall of Famer like Kidd as a teammate.

As long as his Kidd's secondary skills remain strong, he can be an effective player in a limited role, despite rarely scoring.