Dallas Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki’s pre-game routine will change

During Dallas Mavericks media day, Dirk Nowitzki talked a little bit about what it means for him to come off the bench. One thing he mentioned is his longtime pre-game routine.

When Coach Carlisle was asked about whether or not Dirk Nowitzki would be coming off the bench prior to the 2017-18 NBA season, his answer was essentially “when hell freezes over”.

Well, the devil just bought himself a new winter coat.

When news broke this year that Dirk would be coming off the bench, most fans weren’t too surprised but rather disappointed that the end of an era was drawing nearer each day. As Dirk addressed the media shortly after Carlisle’s big announcement, it was clear that he wasn’t aware that everyone knew.

Upon addressing the many questions about him coming off the bench, however, Dirk did reveal that he is not sure how things will work just yet. His main concern being that he is used to getting the opportunity of warming up and going right into game action.

During the press conference, Dirk said that he will have to approach his game time a little differently. He talked about how he has been able to get away with being a slow starter in the league thanks to being a starter. Without that luxury, he has to learn how to hit the ground running and be an immediate threat off the bench.

Obviously this isn’t too concerning for those of us who have watched how effective Dirk is on the court, but it is interesting to think about the fact that he will have to change things up. Instead of breaking a sweat in warmups and getting his muscles loose, Dirk will need to find a way to have his body ready to come off the bench at any time.

This will change things a lot, so don’t be surprised if we see an early season visit from Holger Geschwindner to get Dirk focused on a new regime that will push him to be warmed up and ready to shoot once he gets on the court.

It will never feel right seeing Dirk coming off the bench, but I believe he will thrive in this role this season. If this is the last year of Dirk basketball then it will be a sad one, but nothing can taint the career that he has put together over the last two decades.