Dallas Mavs GOAT: When Will Doncic Catch 'Mentor' Nowitzki?
If you ask NBA fans who they think the greatest Dallas Mavericks player of all time is, the vast majority will tell you Dirk Nowitzki ... and for now, that would be the correct answer.
However, if Luka Doncic continues the same superstar trajectory he's been on during his first four seasons, Nowitzki will eventually be challenged for that title ... and he knows it too. That certainly doesn't take anything away from Nowitzki's illustrious career, but it speaks to just how good Doncic has been in a short amount of time.
"I try to mentor (Luka) a little bit. Obviously, he's so good already. He's already better now than I ever was," said Nowitzki in a radio interview. "He's so mature already that it's hard for me to tell him something because he's so good and so mature already. Certain things that I see, I talk to him about it and he seems to be open for it."
When comparing Doncic and Nowitzki's accomplishments through their first four seasons, the scale is tipped in Doncic's favor.
Nowitzki averaged 18.8 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 46.5 percent from the field and 37.7 percent on 3s by the end of his fourth year. In the same timeframe, Doncic averaged 26.4 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.0 assists while shooting 45.7 percent from the field and 33.7 percent from deep.
Doncic already has three All-Star appearances and three All-NBA First Team selections on his resume. Although Nowitzki ended up with All-NBA honors 12 times during his career, only four of those were First Team selections. This means Doncic – if he makes his fourth consecutive All-NBA First Team during the 2022-23 season – could potentially equal the amount of All-NBA First Team nods Nowitzki had for his entire 21-year career in just five years.
Just because Doncic has shown the potential of being able to catch Nowitzki for being the greatest Maverick ever doesn't necessarily mean he'll get there, though. He still has quite a bit of work to do – both on the court and off it in the Dallas community – to reach that level of greatness, despite Nowitzki thinking he's already been passed.
Doncic bringing a second championship to Dallas is likely the biggest requirement in getting him over the hurdle, but longevity and unwavering loyalty is part of the equation as well. Nowitzki is the only player in NBA history to spend 21 seasons with one team, and that means as much to Mavs fans as any of the other individual accolades.
Only time will tell if Doncic can get there or not, but for now, we'll continue to enjoy watching him try his best over the next handful of years.
You can follow Dalton Trigg on Twitter at @dalton_trigg
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