Nowitzki hopes to mentor Doncic
DALLAS — For about 50 minutes Tuesday afternoon, Dirk Nowitzki returned to a spot he occupied so many times during his illustrious 21-year career with the Mavericks:
At a dais in front of reporters and cameras talking about his on-court accomplishments and memories and his expectations for Wednesday night, when the Mavericks will retire his No. 41 jersey in a ceremony after their game against the Warriors.
But midway through the news, Nowitzki was asked to consider the Mavericks' future, rather than reflect on his past.
What advice would he give Luka Doncic to have similar success in Dallas?
Nowitzki started with the obvious: “I love Luka. I think everybody knows that.”
And then he offered insight into their relationship.
Though the two overlapped in Dallas for just the 2018-19 season — and Nowitzki missed the first 26 games while recovering from offseason ankle surgery — they bonded despite their 21-year age difference and 20-year gap in NBA experience.
Nowitzki understood and empathized with Doncic's abrupt adjustment — not just to the highest level of basketball, but also to living several time zones away from his
Slovenian home and Spanish club roots.
“I was not nearly as good, especially early on,” Nowitzki said. “I had a really slow start, and I could kind of hide behind Steve Nash and Mike Finley there for a while, but he's been basically the No. 1 guy ever since he got here, so there's a lot of pressure that comes with that.”
Doncic also has started to mirror some of Nowitzki's many initiatives off the court. This Christmas, for example, Doncic sent gifts, gear and autographs to children at hospitals in Dallas and Slovenia — reminiscent of Nowitzki's annual visits to local hospitals during the holidays.
Nowitzki joked Tuesday that he's not sure exactly what his “special adviser”
role with the Mavericks will entail, aside from occasional advice to owner Mark Cuban or coach Jason Kidd.
But guiding Doncic is a responsibility he'd like to include, too.
“I would love to mentor him a little bit,” Nowitzki said. “We've had some meetings over the years. He's a really sweet guy with a huge heart, and on the court, he looks so mature the way he plays and the way he reads the game. And then when you catch him off the floor, you realize this kid is 22 years old. It's fantastic, amazing what he's doing.
“Really happy for him. Really proud of him. Just got to keep working, hopefully stay injury-free and have a long career with the Mavs. Anywhere
I can be of help down the line, if he has questions, he has my number, we can meet at any time. I'd love to help him reach his goals.”
Return close for Thompson
After a two-year layoff with significant injuries, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson could return Sunday against the Cavaliers, ESPN reported.
A final decision is expected once the Warriors return from back-to-back games Wednesday and Thursday in Dallas and New Orleans.
Odds and ends
Knicks forward Julius Randle cleared protocols ahead of Tuesday's home game against the Pacers after the minimum fiveday stay. The recent change in quarantine guidelines, which was reduced from 10 to five days for asymptomatic individuals, allowed for his return after just two missed games.
Without Randle, the Knicks were pummeled by the Thunder and Raptors, managing a seasonlow 80 points in the Friday contest at Oklahoma City . ...
After missing four games in the COVID-19 protocols, Suns coach Monty Williams was cleared to rejoin the team for Tuesday's game against the Pelicans.