Dirk will reach 30,000 points this season

Julius Erving, Wilt Chamberlain, Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. That’s a fine list of basketball royalty all with one thing in common: 30,000 points. One name that will be added to that list in the near future is Dirk Nowitzki.

Dirk is a mere 342 points from that 30k milestone, and during what feels like one of the more forgettable Maverick seasons, this moment will likely be the absolute peak of the 2016-17 campaign.

After suiting up and playing in 13 games this season, Dirk is averaging only a little under 13 points per game. This is well below his career average of 22 PPG, but it is slightly closer to what we have seen from him in the last few years. With Harrison Barnes showing he can handle more of a scoring load, Dirk’s responsibility to get buckets is lessening, and his nightly totals will of course take a hit. But as he gets a little more run under his legs and is back to playing consistently, I think a more accurate average will be around 16 PPG.

Another thing to watch over the next couple of months will be Dirk’s playing time, and if Rick Carlisle can manage him effectively to keep his legs fresh game to game. If Dirk is required to do too much and play too many minutes, we may start to see him miss games due to rest.

So, if Dirk can remain healthy and not miss too many games, we should see him reach the mark in around 25 games, which lands in early March. The Mavs actually have a five-game home stand from March 3 through March 11, and it would be a pretty special bonus if the feat were reached in front of a home crowd.

When Dirk’s career is all said and done (probably in the not too distant future, unfortunately), we are going to be able to look back at moments like these and remember one of the greatest to ever play the game. Dirk is almost solely responsible for me becoming a fan of basketball all those years ago, and I will always admire what he has done for the NBA.

Dirk Nowitzki, a kid out of Würzburg, Germany who was once labeled a “soft Euro,” will reach 30,000 career points this season. Thirty THOUSAND. He’s the best, man.