Dirk Nowitzki: Where Does Mavs PF Rank All-Time?

By Evan Massey | Apr 2, 2015

Mar 22, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 98-92. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Where does Dallas Mavericks power forward Dirk Nowitzki rank all-time after scoring his 28,000th point on Wednesday night?

Dirk Nowitzki has been one of the best players in the NBA over the past ten years, but he isn’t the type of star that gets talked about too terribly much. Even as he continues to play strong basketball in his 17th season, he has yet to gain the type of name or respect that he truly deserves. On Wednesday night against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a big win, Nowitzki notched is 28,000th career point.

It is a feat that not many NBA players can brag about, but it was just another day at the office for Nowitzki. He is one of the fiercest competitors in the league, and also one of the most unique players with an intriguing skill-set. Dallas has been blessed to have himaround for every single season that he has played, and that looks like the way it will end up.

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Now, following his 28,000-point milestone, the time has come to take a look at where Nowitzki should rank all-time.

First of all, taking a look at his statistics throughout the course of his career shows that he belongs among the best in the history of the game. He has averaged 22.2 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, while shooting an impressive 47.5 percent from the field overall and 38.3 percent from behind the three-point arc. There aren’t many big guys that can put up those types of numbers, but that is part of what makes Nowitzki such a unique player.

He has worked his way up to being the seventh leading scorer in NBA history, and is only 592 points shy of passing Shaquille O’Neal for sixth. Perhaps the most underrated fact about Nowitzki’s all-time standings is that he is ranked 17th in NBA history in three-point field goals made.

He powered the Mavericks to a huge championship win in the 2010-11 season, and 27.7 points per game in that run.

There haven’t been many leaders that could match up to Nowitzki’s leadership abilities either. He may not be the loudest player on the court, but he leads by example and excellence on-the-court. Nowitzki is also a leader by being a coach on the floor.

SWISH. Dirk Nowitzki becomes 7th player in NBA history to score 28,000 career points as Dallas beats OKC, 135-131. pic.twitter.com/zMCOBvmi0J
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) April 2, 2015

As good as Nowitzki has been, it is extremely hard to rank him among all of the great players that have come before him. He is certainly a top-20 NBA player, and is liking nearing top-15 status. His numbers offensively have been impressive throughout his entire NBA career, and he is worthy of getting the recognition of being one of the best to ever play the game.

Nowitzki leads the Mavericks franchise in scoring, game played, three-pointers made and rebounds, and is in the top-five for assists, steals and blocks. Those rankings give even more proof of how dominant Nowitzki has been throughout his career.

"Dirk (Nowitzki) is one of the greats of all-time" - @PetrosAndMoney on @FOXSportsLive
— FS1 (@FS1) April 2, 2015

Looking ahead at players that rank above Nowitzki, there are a good 10-15 players that could be listed ahead of him. Those that are close to him include Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Isaiah Thomas. Malone has to be ranked ahead of Dirk at this point in his career due to the scoring that Malone put up throughout his career, but both Barkley and Thomas need to be ranked behind Nowitzki.

That being said, at this point in time Nowitzki should be ranked around the 13-15 positions all-time. There are quite a few interchangeable players around that area, so plenty of people will disagree with the area that Nowitzki is ranked in here.

Dallas has been one of the more interesting teams this season, but currently sit in seventh place in the Western Conference playoff race. They are going to be a team to keep an eye on when the playoffs roll around, and part of that will be due to the fact that they will have Nowitzki. He has been the franchise player in Dallas since soon after he joined the Mavericks, and will be that guy for them until he chooses to retire.

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