New Orleans Pelicans: Defending Dirk Nowitzki The Next Challenge
By Owen Sanborn
The Pelicans have the pleasure (sarcasm) of taking on Dirk Nowitzki and his Dallas Mavericks Saturday night after three long nights without a game. There will be many challenges to overcome in order to taste a sweet victory, such as Rick Carlisle, Chandler Parsons, Al-Farouq Aminu revenge game potential and Rick Carlisle a second time.
Dallas is armed with a ton of talent, but no player will cause more angst for the Pelicans than the shaggy-haired German, Dirk Nowitzki. It will be a point of emphasis to contain his freakish sharpshooting at all costs. However, this is no easy task if the Mavs’ game against the Jazz on Thursday is any indication.
I looked over the tape from that game and some things jumped out at me that could potentially be terrifying for Anthony Davis and company.
In the beginning of the game, Dallas set up a beautiful set in which Monta Ellis was a down-screener for Dirk in order to produce one of his angelic jump shots:
The poor Jazz never really had a chance in this instance. The last thing they were expecting this early in the game had to be Ellis setting a down screen on the man defending Dirk.
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Something that New Orleans can try to do to counteract this action is simply call out the screen and switch on it quickly. Every defender outside of
Eric Gordonis lengthy, which allows the Pelicans to be flexible defensively.
Switching during this sequence may create a mismatch between Dirk the defender previously guarding Ellis, which would then force the defense to have to send help at Dirk and maybe even try to swarm him.
Bottom line, this simple action by the Mavs can cause nightmares for opposing defenses. It already gives me a headache.
As the game progressed, you could easily tell that Dirk was just in one of his ungodly zones. He was oozing with jump shot hubris, and it showed in how well he executed pump fakes on the young Utah frontcourt.
I mean, what are you supposed to do about that? Not only did he execute a pump fake, but it was one of those drawn out pump fakes where he brings the ball all the way over his head and watches the defender fly by him. Then he goes on to splash the jumper like it is nothing because he is Dirk.
This may be an area where young Anthony Davis struggles defensively against Dirk. Davis is a known shot blocker, and is aggressive when he contests in order to accumulate his outrageous number of blocked shots. A player of Dirk’s ilk will take advantage of Davis’ aggressiveness and maybe even put him in foul trouble.
It will be important for Davis to remember to stay down on his feet and not bite on the pump fakes. Rather give up the two points than be in foul trouble.
Finally, there comes a point during every Mavericks game where basketball nerds rejoice at the sight of a Dirk Nowitzki post up that is downright unfair for the opposing defender. Here was one of the many times Dirk utilized his one-legged magic on Thursday night:
There is simply no answer for this kind of offensive play. Davis may be able the only player in the league that will be able to harass Dirk on that type of fading shot because of his long arms, but Dirk has the timing of little twirl down so well that there may not be anything that can be done. Pelicans fans and players alike can simply hope that he misses. Which is a rarity let me tell you.
Saturday night’s game is going to be a great match up and a statement game for the Pelicans as they try to assert themselves into the Western Conference playoff picture.
The key to victory really begins and ends with containing the German 7-footer with the golden locks and rainbow jumpers.