Even though he’s entering his 20th season in the NBA, Dirk Nowitzki is still one of the best shooters in the league. According to NBA.com, a quarter of his offense came from spot-ups alone last season. With an average of 1.15 points per spot-up possession, he ranked in the 86.2 percentile alongside a number of players in their prime such as Paul George, Kyrie Irving, Ryan Anderson and Klay Thompson.
Nowitzki’s ability to space the floor at a high rate as a power forward and center at this stage of his career is important considering 60.6 percent of his scoring was made up of catch-and-shoot jumpers last season. He converted 48.8 of those attempts from mid-range and 38.9 percent from the perimeter. An additional 23.4 percent of his scoring came from pull-ups, which he made at a 42.6 percent clip from mid-range.
Those stats gave Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle good reason to play Nowitzki 26.4 minutes per game last season. While he isn’t the dominant scorer he once was — he averaged only 14.2 points per game — the Mavericks were still a better team with him on the court because of the value he brings offensively. Whether it’s popping to the perimeter in the pick-and-roll, spotting-up in the corner in the half court or acting as the trailer in transition, defenses have to account for Nowitzki’s shooting in ways that make the lives of his teammates much easier.
Dennis Smith Jr. will certainly benefit from it like Yogi Ferrell did last season. Just watch how concerned Nerlens Noel is of Nowitzki popping on this possession:
This, of course, is why Noel felt the need to show Nowitzki that much respect:
Now imagine giving someone who is bigger, faster, stronger and more athletic than Ferrell and Deron Williams that sort of space to work with in a half court setting.
Smith proved to be a dynamic pick-and-roll scorer at NC State before stealing the show as a rookie at Summer League. Since pick-and-rolls are expected to be a huge part of his game throughout his NBA career, pairing him with Nowitzki in those situations is a no-brainer. Mike Schmitz of Draft Express may have said it best:
"Strong, explosive guards who can score at all three levels like Smith don’t grow on trees, and have proven very valuable in a ball screen-heavy, well-spaced NBA game."
(For what it’s worth, Carlisle’s teams tend to be “well-spaced,” much of which is due to Nowitzki. The Mavericks made 37.6 percent of their 3-point attempts with Nowitzki on the court last season. Without him? 34.3 percent. That was the difference between ranking fourth and 23rd in 3-point accuracy as a team).
Nowitzki doesn’t even need to be the centerpiece of the offense for his gravity to go into effect. Simply being in scoring position, which starts from the 3-point line for him, tends to draw opposing power forwards and centers away from the paint. It’s what happens in the following video, with Nowitzki’s gravity paving the way for Noel to cut to the rim for an alley-oop. If Nowitzki wasn’t the shooting threat he is, Larry Nance Jr. may have been able to break up the play by backing off of him.
For the exact same reasons, Noel benefits as a cutter from Nowitzki being on the floor as well. If Nowitzki can pull one big man out of the paint while the ball handler forces Noel’s defender to help out — a combination that happens often in Carlisle’s system — it can lead to uncontested baskets.
Those are just a few examples of how Nowitzki makes an impact in the NBA as a 39-year-old. The reality is everyone’s job becomes easier on offense whenever he is on the court. As Mavericks.com pointed out, the most important members of the Mavericks saw their shooting numbers improve when Nowitzki in the lineup last season. Some were significant, some were slightly less noticeable, but they all pointed to Nowitzki’s gravity contributing to their success.
The problem is Nowitzki can’t log the type of minutes he used to. Injuries limited him to 54 games last season and he only played 30-plus minutes in 13 of them. He’s also a liability on defense, making him a huge target in today’s NBA. Both of those factors make it hard for him to perform at the level needed to be considered an All-Star.
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Nonetheless, the way teams respect Nowitzki means he still has the presence of an All-Star. It won’t likely materialize into the 14th All-Star appearance of his career, but it will help him make the Mavericks a better team when he’s on the court.