Dirk Nowitzki had some interesting things to say about rookie sensation Luka Doncic.
Nowitzki, 40, is one of the most accomplished players in NBA history. The probable first ballot Hall of Famer joked to the New York Times about Doncic, saying the 19-year-old took him "under his wing."
"He’s just such a confident young man that there’s not much you can really tell him," Nowitzki said. "He’s got the experience, he’s got the confidence in crunch time already — all that I had to work for. He’s got the ability to forget anything that just happened five seconds ago, 10 seconds ago, and make another big play. That usually develops a lot later than 19 or 20.
"But off the floor, man, he is a kid. He’s never serious off the floor and obviously I’m not, either. He loves to have fun. We joke about everything and anything at all times. He’s just a funny dude. We enjoy our time together — I guess he took me under his wing."
Doncic appears to be the favorite to win this season's Rookie of the Year award. The Slovenian could become the second consecutive international player to take home the honor. He is averaging 21.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.1 assists in 2018-19.
He leads all first-year players in minutes played and points scored.
Nowitzki wasn't even close to the Rookie of the Year discussion in his first season. He averaged just 8.2 points and 3.4 rebounds in 1998-99. Vince Carter took home the top honor for first-year players that season.
However, Nowitzki went on to become a 14-time All-Star and 2011 NBA champion.
Nowitzki is expected to retire following 2018-19 after spending 21 seasons with the Mavericks. But, he hasn't made an official announcement just yet.
"This year is kind of beyond stats," Nowitzki told the Times about this season. "I’m glad I turned the corner a little bit the last few weeks and I’m having fun competing with my teammates again."
Dallas is out of the playoff picture, and should Nowitzki choose to retire, his last game in the American Airlines Center will take place April 9 against the Suns.
