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Dirk Nowitzki Checks in at #28 on SI’s Top 100 of 2015-16

By Jay Knodell

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Dirk Nowitzki Comes in at #28 on SI’s Top 100 Players in 2015-16

Our friends over at Sports Illustrated have been working on their list of Top 100 Players for 2015-16 and several Mavericks made the list.

Wesley Matthews made the cut at #99, Deron Williams came in at #83, and Chandler Parsons has been slotted at #66.

Dirk Nowitzki was #14 on last year’s list and slid a bit in this one, but still checks in at #28. Right ahead of DeAndre Jordan!

Here’s the thinking behind it, from Rob Mahoney:

"Things aren’t as dire for Dirk Nowitzki as they might have seemed when the Rockets were attacking him for sport in the first round of the 2015 playoffs. That matchup was rough on him and his team’s circumstances were even rougher. Not only was Tyson Chandler in poor shape, but Dallas’s guards were lost in the processes of defending the pick-and-roll to the point that Nowitzki was isolated and exploited.All of which isn’t meant to pardon Nowitzki entirely. This is the slowest he’s ever been as a pro. Some settings will serve him better than others, but even the best of circumstances won’t do much for his lumbering gait. The last two seasons have been a concession of sorts for Nowitzki, who at 37 years old has ceded chief responsibility of Dallas’s offense. This is healthy. His body just doesn’t take the shoving of post defense as well as it used to, turning every back-down possession into more of an ordeal. Still he gets his share—one doesn’t just put that gorgeous fadeaway jumper to bed—albeit without the expectation of being a funnel for offense most every trip down the floor. Instead, Nowitzki’s revised role strikes a compromise between go-to scorer and irresistible decoy that makes perfect sense in pacing out a long season. Defenders still trip over themselves in fear of leaving Nowitzki open. They still lunge desperately to contest his jumper to no avail. Dirk is still Dirk, and until his jumper stops falling, that means enough to overwhelm even a glaring defensive shortfall. – R.M."

Check out the whole list here.

Next: Dirk Nowitzki's Top 5 Career Games

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