Dallas Mavericks: Regular Season Awards
By Cole Mentzel
Most Valuable Player: Dirk Nowitzki
2015-16 stats:
- PPG: 18.3
- RPG: 6.5
- APG: 1.8
- MIN: 31.5
There’s no surprise here. Dirk Nowitzki is still the best player on the Dallas Mavericks despite many attempts to change that.
He was put into an unexpected role of leading the team yet again when Chandler Parsons struggled heavily after returning to the court in early November. With that being the case, we were able to enjoy one of Nowitzki’s final years as he continued to climb the leaderboards, with the most notable move being his sixth-place spot on the all-time scoring list. He also became just the sixth player to ever score 29,000 points in a career.
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Nowitzki continued to get his normal rest days throughout the season and that, in turn, helped him continue his high level of play, despite being 37 years old.
He poured in six games with at least 30 points and continued to operate as the go-to guy anytime the team needed a bucket. Though it’s obvious that Nowitzki is continuing to become just a little bit less helpful on defense and in other parts of the game, he still provided the Mavs with quality boards and key blocks when they needed them, helping him earn 10 double-doubles.
No matter how good the team around him is, Dirk Nowitzki will always be the centerpiece.
Best Game: On Mar. 20, Nowitzki turned back the clocks in a vintage 40-point game that gave the Mavs a critical win over the Portland Trail Blazers. He hit many big shots, including the dagger three-pointer in the Mavs’ 132-120 win.
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