Dirk Nowitzki Is Working On A Quicker Release
As maybe the most unique and craft shooter of his era, Dirk Nowitzki at 36 years old is still trying to progress his shooting repertoire. According to Marc Stein of ESPN, Nowitzki has been spending much of his recent time with his lifelong German shooting coach Holger Geschwinder, working on adapting to a quicker shot release:
I don’t know if the [average] fan will see the difference. But I’m always trying to get better, and this is just a little tool for me to shoot a little quicker. We’ll see how it works during the season.
Geschwinder referenced Stephen Curry of the Warriors as the standard of a rapid-fire shooting sequence, so that gives you a sense of what Dirk is looking to emulate. Because Dirk is a seven footer, and just because of his style, his release hasn’t been super quick but more of an unpredictable patience and a fall away that could barely be contested. Getting his shot off quicker helps him maintain if not progress his productivity because while Dirk was always pretty slow, he’ll be slower, and his shot will be more than just his main weapon.
Even now, I’m 36, but I don’t see myself as a complete basketball player. It’s always about getting better and adding stuff in the summer. That’s something I wanted to look at and see how it goes, so I’ll try it. What else can I do at 36 when the feet slow down a little bit? Try to be even quicker with the shot, because once you get older, you don’t jump as high and the first step is slower. Shooting quicker should help my game for the back end of my career. And if it doesn’t work [out well], I’ll just go back to the old way.
Dirk is one of the remaining hall of famers of his era that will continue to be effective because he simply knows how. He still averaged over 20 points and 6 rebounds last season and led Dallas to the postseason. We’ll see how Nowitzki’s efforts pan out.
