Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki is one of the best players to ever grace an NBA court. He spent his entire 21-season career in Dallas and has gone down as one of the best players the league has ever seen and arguably the best international player.
Several players are coming for that title, including one on his former team, Luka Doncic. The Mavericks have been fortunate enough to go from one generational talent to another as Doncic is a perennial MVP candidate.
One person who knows what Nowtizki brought to the Mavericks is Rick Carlisle. He was the head coach of the team from 2008-2021 when he resigned and opted to return to the Indiana Pacers, where he spent four seasons as head coach earlier in his career.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Lauri Markkanen, Rick Carlisle, Utah Jazz Updates
Recently, Carlisle made some bold comments when speaking about his former star player. He believes that Utah Jazz power forward Lauri Markkanen is the closest thing to Nowitzki that he has seen in the NBA.
“He’s the closest thing that I’ve seen to Nowitzki in terms of a seven footer that can really stretch the game out and play inside,” Carlisle said via Ryan Miller of KSL.com via X, formerly Twitter.
That is some high praise from Carlisle to Markkanen, who is coming off of his first All-Star appearance last season. Since being traded from the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he was misused as a small forward, to the Jazz, he has blossomed into a legitimate star player.
When he is on the court, the Jazz are finding a ton of success. Since his return from injury, the team has climbed the standings in the Western Conference, placing themselves right in the thick of the playoff picture.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Lauri Markkanen, Rick Carlisle, Utah Jazz Updates
Carlisle’s assessment of Markkanen is hard to argue against. While he may not be on the Hall of Fame track which Nowitzki eventually got on, at 26 years old, Markkanen is coming into his own in Utah.
He can score from all over the court, as he has a feathery touch from the perimeter but can also punish smaller players inside the arc. He is averaging 24 points per game this season, making 49.7 percent of his shots overall and 39.7 percent of his 3-point attempts.
While some people will be taken aback by Carlisle’s comments, it isn’t as bold of a statement as people would think. When it comes to offensive-minded big men in the NBA, Markkanen has a game most reminiscent of Nowitzki when it comes to inside-out play and where he likes to operate on the court.
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