Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki Is Playing Like An All-Star

By Cole Mentzel | Dec 13, 2015

Nov 16, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) reacts to a three pointer against the Philadelphia 76ers during the second half at Wells Fargo Center. The Mavericks won 92-86. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Despite a loaded Western Conference, Dirk Nowitzki has been playing like an All-Star for the Dallas Mavericks.

Dirk Nowitzki has been selected to the annual NBA All-Star Game 13 times in his legendary NBA career. Whether he was chosen by the fans or a few participants suffered from injury before he was selected, Nowitzki has been a familiar name in the game since he rose to stardom back in the early 2000s.

This season will be one of the hardest for him to earn a trip to the game simply because of the amount of talented big men in the Western Conference. From Anthony Davis and Blake Griffin to LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMarcus Cousins, it’s simply a conference that is loaded with star power forwards and centers.

However, despite Nowitzki’s slim chances at making the game, his play is proving that he would be a worthy selection. He is contributing like the true star of a team even though the Mavs have other scoring options like Chandler Parsons and Deron Williams. His 17.6 points per game average is the highest on the roster.

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In fact, Nowitzki has been so good, that he is currently hovering around the 50/40/90 mark this year, shooting 49 percent from the floor, 41 percent from 3-point range and 90 percent at the free-throw line. He is one of only six other players to accomplish the 50/40/90 feat as he did it in his MVP season of 2006-07.

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He has been showing up against some of the best teams in the West, which he has done his whole career. So far this season, Nowitzki has four double-doubles, coming against the Clippers, Grizzlies, Spurs and Rockets, all teams who could be potential playoff opponents.

Nowitzki is also having a decent year rebounding. He is averaging a total of 7.2 boards a game, which is his highest average since the 2009-10 season. He has managed to keep his personal foul number down too, averaging only 1.8 a game. He has been less than two only one other time in his career.

Perhaps the most incredible part of this season for Nowitzki is the fact that he is averaging 30 minutes a game at 37 years of age and is still producing at a high level. If being the primary scorer wasn’t enough, he is doing it for a team that is surprising many and is on pace to finish somewhere in between fourth and sixth in the West.

All of these things and more have led to a madly efficient season for Nowitzki in the first month and a half. Though he will be shadowed by the rising stars in the league, he is just as important to the Mavs as other big men like Paul Millsap and Chris Bosh are to their teams and is staying on the level of other All-Star caliber players in the league.

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In the end, however, it will most likely be better for Nowitzki to stay away from the game altogether. A few days of rest is going to help him a lot more in the long run than spending a weekend playing. In fact last season, you could tell that he would’ve rather stayed away as he said the selection “threw a little bit of a wrench” into his plans.

Even if Dirk Nowitzki does not play in the All-Star game, his play with the Mavs is certainly going to prove that he is operating at a high level.

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