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Dirk Nowitzki: EuroBasket Play Will Help NBA Play Next Season

By Cole Mentzel

Dec 23, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 23, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Mavericks 124-115. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dirk Nowitzki was productive during EuroBasket 2015. Though Team Germany did not performed well, Nowitzki still played nicely and fit in well with his teammate, Atlanta Hawks guard Dennis Schroder.

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This year’s events were set up to be Nowitzki’s last games with the German national team. In the five games that they played, they only won once. However, that was overlooked by Germany’s everlasting love for their favorite basketball player, one who rose higher than anyone ever thought he would.

On the way to semi-successful EuroBasket play for Nowitzki himself, he climbed to second all-time on the EuroBasket scoring list. He had fairly solid stats through the tournament:

  • Germany/Iceland: 15 points, 7 rebounds
  • Germany/Serbia: 15 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists
  • Germany/Turkey: 15 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
  • Germany/Italy: 14 points, 10 rebounds, 2 assists
  • Germany/Spain: 10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist

Though it was only five games, this playing time is going to very impactful on his play during the 2015-16 season with the Dallas Mavericks. In past years, Nowitzki has been known to take enormous breaks from the game of basketball. For example, one season, he took the whole summer off in order to rest up and get ready. This extra play with Germany in Eurobasket is going to help him keep his edge.

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Last season, Nowitzki did not have as much of an offensive burden due to the depth of the team. You can make the case that he won’t have as big of a burden this season either but this year’s Mavs seem to be a little more injury-prone. Plus, Nowitzki is the only big man on the team that scores consistently. With confusion as to who gets minutes at the center position and Charlie Villanueva being the first power forward off the bench, the team team will rely on Dirk more to carry the scoring load for big men.

That’s exactly why EuroBasket will prove to be so big for Nowitzki. Instead of resting like he normally does this time of year, he got valuable time playing in games that mattered and that will have him ready for Mavs training camp near the end of September.

At the age of 37, it is important for Nowitzki to keep his body in good shape. He’s been lucky to be nearly injury-free these past few seasons, so anything extra to keep him in shape will ultimately benefit the Mavs and extend his ability to produce.

Nowitzki will face another tough year where his team is basically brand new. After the Mavs picked up Chandler Parsons and Tyson Chandler last summer, the front office and fans alike were hoping that the Mavs would be able to keep the same core together. The DeAndre Jordan saga eventually brought an end to all of that as most of the Mavs’ free agents had already committed to other teams, so they were forced to scrap together a team that could compete.

Overall, Dirk Nowitzki will be in a tough spot this season, but his EuroBasket play this summer will help him out in the long run. As he continues to make his way up the NBA all-time scoring list, Nowitzki should continue to perform at a high level. His career in Germany may be over but his career with the Mavs still has a few good moments left.

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