Dirk Nowitzki is likely to retire in the next couple of years, but he has high hopes for his team once he does.
After finishing 16th in defensive efficiency last season, Dirk joked that the team’s defensive deficiencies were his fault. He said they should expect huge improvements on that side of the court.
From Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:
“We should be able to have a great defensive lineup — once I’m out.” — #Mavs F Dirk Nowitzki @swish41
— Dwain Price (@DwainPrice) September 26, 2016
While Dirk definitely isn’t a top defender anymore, he should give himself more credit for his abilities on that side of the ball. The Mavericks actually allowed 0.4 points per possession fewer when Dirk was on the court, so he couldn’t have been too bad.
While Dirk isn’t the best of defenders, he will still be the Mavericks focal point on offense this year. Last season, he averaged 18 PPG on 44% shooting. He will definitely look to continue that this season and he will try to lead his team to the playoffs for possibly the last time. He says he will decide on a year-by-year basis, so any season could be his final. He also sees himself going out quietly like Tim Duncan did, and not with a bang like Kobe Bryant.
