5 reasons Dirk Nowitzki needs to join the Golden State Warriors
By John Buhler
5. Top five defensive team annually.
Nowitzki has never been a great defensive player. Yes, he has done a fine job over the years in terms of blocking shots and gathering rebounds, but Nowitzki is an elite offensive player and average at best on defense.
This has been an issue for many of his Mavericks teams over the years, as while Dallas usually boasts a top 10 offense, they rarely have the necessary defensive gravitas to honestly orchestrate deep playoff runs.
When Dallas won it all in 2011, Nowitzki had one of the best rim protectors of all-time in his prime in center Tyson Chandler. Dallas was in the top five defensively that season, which allowed Nowitzki to win his first and thus far only NBA Championship.
While Golden State is tremendously gifted on offense, the Warriors are close to a complete team as they are both elite in pace and in defensive metrics. Having elite defensive players like Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, and Draymond Green makes the Warriors one of the hardest teams to get good looks on consistently.
Not that an aging Nowitzki will do much on the defensive end of the floor in the twilight on his illustrious NBA career, but he’s still a seven-footer that could help Andrew Bogut, Green, and Iguodala make it difficult to score on the Warriors in the paint.
Outside of depth, it is the stark contrast in defensive competency that makes Golden State one of the four best teams in the NBA annually and Dallas a perennial first round exit despite having one of the best coaches in the game in Carlisle. Defense wins championships and Nowitzki would inherit that in Golden State.
Next: 4. Benefits from playing with other great jump shooters.