Dirk Nowitzki has been in the NBA for sixteen seasons, and quite honestly it looks like he has a few years left in the tank. Nowitzki is in a fight that many athletes have failed to win, and that is the bout with father time. Father time in the world of sports is similar to the movie Space Jam where the Monstars took the skills and powers from the best athlete’s that the game of basketball has seen. At age 36, Nowitzki is going toe-to-toe with father time, and thus far he is doing a great job doing so. This season, Nowitzki is averaging a shade under 18.0 ppg to go along with 6.3 rebounds. No, this isn’t the Nowitzki that won the MVP in the 2006-2007 season averaging 24.6 ppg and 8.9 rpg, but he is playing less minutes. Nowitzki is only playing around 29.0 mpg compared to previous years when it hovered in the mid-to-late thirties. With Dirk playing the least amount of minutes of course his numbers will take a dip, but the efficiency is still there.
Most superstars tend to go downhill when they enter their mid-thirties, but Dirk is doing his best to stay afloat. In a game where people pay homage to the high-flying athlete it’s easy to forget about the skill players to find a way to make it work after they pass their so-called glory years. Players such as Paul Pierce, Kobe Bryant (when healthy), Tim Duncan and Dirk Nowitzki are prime examples of how skill can prolong one’s career after losing athletic ability—or even the little that some of them had. With age comes wisdom, and in Nowitzki’s case he knows when to pick and choose his spots to be dynamic. As Nowitzki transformed his game into the second option on the team deferring to Monta Ellis to shoulder the scoring load, he is still capable of playing at a high level when needed. It also helps that Nowitzki has several players around him that are more than capable of helping him. Guys such as Chandler Parsons, Rajon Rondo, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler all give the support that Nowitzki needs to operate at an efficient level.
Trying to hold a franchise on your back at age 36 is close to impossible– just ask Kobe Bryant. Without help on the court it forces that one player to try to do everything, and that is when the body tends to break down. Dirk has also helped by taking a lesser amount of money instead of taking a maximum contract that would place the Mavericks in a financial bind. Beating father time isn’t easy, and like anything you need help to defy the greatest of heights. As Dirk gets older in age he continues to pass milestone after milestone. After surpassing Moses Malone on the All-Time scoring list at No.7– Nowitzki pulled down his 10,000th rebound making him the first player in NBA history with 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 1,000 blocks, and 1,000 three-pointers. When it’s all said and done, Nowitzki will be the best European player to ever play the game, but we don’t know when his basketball chapter will end. Nowitzki is still writing his way into history, even at the age of 36. We all know father time is coming, but will it catch Dirk Nowtizki? As of now it doesn’t look like it, but you just never know how it can creep up. With that said– just run Dirk, as fast as you can before the monster gets you, and hopefully when it gets close enough, you can retire from the game of basketball before it reaches you.
