Grade The Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki

Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The season is over and all we can do is either look back or look ahead. We’re going to take some time to look back and grade the Dallas Mavericks.

Saving the best for last.

Dirk Nowitzki: 21.7 points, 49.7% fg, 39.8% 3-pt, 89.9% ft, 6.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists

Ace Feltman (@MFFeLtman): A+ Dirk came up short a few times at end of games and showed his near 36 years of age on many occasions. But the future Hall of Famer didn’t plan on defeating “Father Time” and had been lobbying for a superstar to come to Dallas in prior offseasons so he wouldn’t need to shoulder as big of a load. Of course it didn’t work that way. Nowitzki still had one of the more efficient seasons of his 17-year career. He also moved past Jerry West, Reggie Miller, Alex English, Kevin Garnett, John Havlicek, Dominique Wilkins and Oscar Robertson to enter the top 10 all-time NBA scoring list. It’s nice to be healthy all season.

Brian Gosset (@Gosset41): A+ Sure he didn’t show up in the playoffs, but like Earl K. Sneed always says…He’s still DIRK. At 35-years-old, Nowitzki was able to lead the team ONCE again in points per game. He came through in the clutch, and is still the go-to-guy. Still there more I need to say?

Bailey Rogers (@BRogers789): A- Dirk moved in to the all-time top 10 as a scorer and nearly had a 50/40/90 season. For the most part, he bounced back from last year and looked like Dirk again. Unfortunately, there were a few stretches there when Dirk just looked his age. It was so bizarre to watch Dirk consistently miss shots that used to always go in, usually for several games in a row. An aging Dirk is nevertheless one of the best scorers in the league, and it has, as always, been a pleasure to watch him work.

Jose De Leon (@JoseOfLion06): A- It’s going to be a sad, sad day in the world of sports when this guy decides to hang them up. It was an absolute treat watching Dirk do wirk again this year. After just a tough 2012-13 season, he came back and showed us what he’s still capable of. Without question my favorite performance of the season was the OT win against the Thunder in Dallas. Kevin Durant had the game-high but there were a handful of Dirk one-legged fadeaways against Durant that just brought the biggest smile to my face. It was just a, “this is your game now but I’m still one of the best in this league” moment. I expect 20-points-a-night Dirk for the next three seasons and FULLY expect him to get back to consistently knocking down free throws.

Rami Michail (@RamiMichail): A He’s still Dirk.