Phoenix — Finding your jump shot is tough. Rehabilitating your image after a domestic abuse charge is even more difficult.
Jason Kidd seems to be managing both in the two months since his arrest on a charge of striking his wife Joumana.
Kidd
In the aftermath of the Jan. 18 arrest, Kidd heard taunts of "wife beater" in Boston and other catcalls around the NBA.
Still, he faced the situation straight on.
Kidd requested to appear on a postgame radio show following the Phoenix Suns' first home game after his arrest. He asked the fans for forgiveness.
"I promise you one thing," he said. "That will never happen again."
At the All-Star Game, he answered every question.
He wrote a letter to Suns season ticket holders to offer another apology. He and his wife appeared at a news conference holding hands. They are undergoing counseling, and she is pregnant with their second child.
Earlier this month, Kidd reached a plea agreement in which he will have the charge dropped if he completes counseling and stays out of trouble for a year.
All the while, Kidd has kept playing. His game slipped a bit in the early aftermath of his arrest, but he didn't need long to get it back.
Now, the point guard known as an excellent passer and suspect shooter has provided the offense direly needed by a Suns team struggling to stay in playoff contention.
"Jason has been taking us on his back the last three games," teammate Mario Elie said. "He's averaging over 30. I'm loving it, man. Go for 50. I know he likes to pass, but I like it when Jason's aggressive."
Kidd has scored 31, 32 and 36 points in his last three games. Before that, he hadn't scored more than 30 twice in a row in his entire career.
During those three games, he shot 52 percent from the field and 56 percent from three-point range (5-for-9). He was 26-for-26 from the foul line with 27 assists and 18 rebounds.
Kidd's 36 points in Tuesday night's 105-91 victory over Washington were his most since his career-high 38 for Dallas against Houston six years ago.
"Some people were saying, 'Go for 50,' but I was just trying to catch my breath so I could get back out on the court," he said.
Kidd knows the Suns need him to be assertive offensively.
"Right now, I feel I need to be offensive-minded," he said. "The guys on the court, that's just going to help them get wide-open shots."
Kidd said he wants to show that he can still be a scorer.
"I've had those shots all season, but I've passed up a lot of them because other guys were rollin'," Kidd said. "When other guys are going, my job is to get them the ball. The last week or so I've been a little more offensive-minded and been taking a chance to see if I can still score.
"If they don't double-team me, it's my job to score."
Confidence is the big thing, Kidd said.
"In the past, I would miss a couple of shots and stop shooting," he said. "Now I've missed more than a couple and I keep shooting. Maybe with age, you tend to figure things out more."
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