Dallas Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki is likely to come off the bench during his 21st and potentially final season in the NBA, said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.
Nowitzki had expressed willingness to do whatever is necessary for the team to thrive earlier this month, which could include coming off the bench. The big German underwent season-ending ankle surgery last year to be 100 percent ready for the start of this season.
The 7-footer returned for a record-breaking 21st season with the team that once drafted him in hopes to go out on a good note, given the Mavs' poor record in the past two seasons. Part of that will be the sacrifice of minutes (which he has done marvelously during the past two seasons) and of his role, which he could relinquish with rookie Luka Doncic, Harrison Barnes and new acquisition DeAndre Jordan taking spots in the starting lineup.
Nowitzki played in 77 of 78 games last season before cutting the end of his season short four games before the end of the year to have a cleanup procedure on his ankle in aim of giving it his all in 2018-19.
The German international will spend a lot of time mentoring the future of the team, giving Doncic a thorough feel of what it's like to make the transition to the NBA. Nowitzki has praised Doncic's unique abilities, noting he's far ahead of the curve compared to other rookies thanks to his three-year professional experience playing for one of the European giants in Real Madrid.
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