Dallas Mavericks: Mid-Season Forward Grades

By Kohl Rast

Feb 14, 2017

Dec 23, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; LA Clippers guard J.J. Redick (4) shoots against Dallas Mavericks players Harrison Barnes (40) , Dirk Nowitzki (41) and Wesley Matthews (23) in the first half of the NBA basketball game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports /

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Jan 30, 2017; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) reacts during the second quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /

B-. . Dallas Mavericks. . Dirk Nowitzki

For those of you who were curious, it actually physically pains me to give Dirk Nowitzki this low of a grade. After 18 seasons of playing at the highest level that the NBA has to offer, Dirk really is finally starting to show his age. And it hurts.

For the first time in probably his career, Dirk is sitting at a B- average for the first half of the season. Nowitzki is the best Dallas Mavericks player in franchise history which is a title that will be held by him for many, many years to come.

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However, the time comes for everyone to see their production diminish. Dirk is in that time frame and his numbers have plummeted but, his recent hot streak and the fact that he was fighting off a pesky achilles injury early, makes this an interesting situation for the Mavs the rest of the way.

Dirk may not be the basketball player he once was, but there is no doubt that he still impacts the game in an incredible way. If you ever question that, just watch how many double-teams he still draws on a nightly basis.

For that reason, he has still earned a decent grade, despite not playing like we are used to from him.

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