Dirk Nowitzki Set To Make Season Debut

Mavericks big man Dirk Nowitzki is poised to make his 2018/19 debut, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com, who reports that Nowitzki will suit up for Dallas’ game in Phoenix on Thursday night.

Nowitzki, who is spending a record-setting 21st season with the same NBA team, was hoping to be ready to go for the start of training camp after undergoing surgery on his ankle earlier this year. However, he suffered a setback in September and has missed nearly two months of the regular season.

In Nowitzki’s absence, the Mavericks got off to a slow start, losing seven of their first nine games, but they have bounced back in impressive fashion. Currently, Dallas holds the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference with a 15-11 record.

As the Mavs continue to push for a spot in the playoffs, Nowitzki will be looking to carve out a role off the bench, despite having started 1,440 of his 1,471 NBA regular season games to date. While the 40-year-old is prepared for his new role, he acknowledged that he’s not quite sure yet what it will look like.

“The boys are playing well,” Nowitzki said recently, per MacMahon. Maxi [Kleber]‘s been playing and Dwight [Powell]‘s playing well off the bench. … I have no idea [about the fit in the rotation], but it’s not a bad thing to be deep at a position. It’s a long season. Stuff always happens. Injuries always happen. It’s good to have a deep team, like we’ve showed. Our bench has been great all year and has won a bunch of games for us.”

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