Dirk Nowitzki dreams of a Doncic-Jokic duo in Dallas

And if the Slovenian Luka Doncic and the Serbian Nikola Jokic would one day find themselves wearing the same jersey in the NBA? In any case, that is the sweet dream cherished by Dirk Nowitzkiwho confided that the two players get along rather well off the field. This is also the only concrete point that feeds his reflection, because for the rest, it would be necessary for one of the two superstars to make the choice to leave his franchise of always, which is far from being an easy matter.

Of course, Dirk Nowitzki would like Nikola Jokic to leave Denver to join Luka Doncic in Dallas, with the aim of winning a new NBA championship title to succeed his 2011 title, the only one in the history of the Texan franchise. On the other hand, Luka Doncic played his first finals this season, losing to Boston, while the Nuggets of the “Joker” have already lifted the Larry O'Brien trophy in 2023, winning the first title in Denver's history.

“I would like it to be in Dallas. I don't know if it will happen, but it is clear that they are two of the best players in the world, maybe even the two best to date,” he recalled from Ljubljana where he is taking part in “Dragon Night”, in homage to the career of Goran Dragic. “They both get along really well, they respect each other and they really like each other. They spend time together. I’m not sure about anything, but of course we want to keep Luka in Dallas as long as possible. We hope he finishes his career there. But I also love Nikola Jokic’s game. He plays with passion, and his ability as a position 5 is just incredible. They’re both incredible players.”

A 25-year-old point guard who plays like he's 35

Having played a year with Luka Doncic in Dallas in 2018-2019, a franchise where the Slovenian succeeded the German and his immense career, Dirk Nowitzki is necessarily a little closer to “Luka Magic”. Already at the time of the first training sessions of the rookie who arrived from Real Madrid, everyone had quickly understood that Doncic was a phenomenon. Dirk Nowitzki's succession was assured…

“He was Euroleague MVP, but that doesn’t mean anything when you get to the NBA. But right from the beginning in practice, you could see how he analyzed the game, how he read it. The way he passed, the way he scored, it was just out of this world. It was a pleasure for me to be there for his first year, maybe to help him a little bit and if he had some questions.”, he added.

Over the years, the “Wunderkid” has finally had a rather measured mentoring role. The reason? Luka Doncic was already way too strong! As a reminder, the leader is still only 25 years old!

“Honestly, when you look at him, he plays like a 35-year-old guy,” continued Dirk Nowitzki. “He’s so smart, really, with an exceptional basketball IQ. What he sees on the court, I’ve never seen. So it’s not like I can tell him, ‘Pass the ball there.’ He knows all that stuff way better than I do. We talk basketball a lot here and there, but I don’t really have to be a mentor to him. He is who he is. He’s an incredible talent, an incredible player. And we were all lucky to be there for his first year, where he just found his groove and really progressed into one of our best players.”

How to read the stats? GM = Games Played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Shots Made / Shots Attempted; 3pts = 3-pointers / 3-pointers Attempted; LF = Free Throws Made / Free Throws Attempted; Off = Offensive Rebound; Def = Defensive Rebound; Tot = Total Rebounds; Pd = Assists; Fte: Personal Fouls; Int = Steals; Bp = Loose Balls; Ct: Blocks; Pts = Points.