WASHINGTON – Scott Brooks recalls the first time he scouted Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki.
“I just remember this guy, he was a lot taller than I anticipated with the way he shot the ball,” Brook said prior to Wednesday’s game between the Washington Wizards and Mavs. “He can shoot the ball — it’s pretty remarkable — and then he was much skinnier back then, like we all were 20 years ago.
“But when he started filling out and started knocking people around and off-balanced to get his shot off, that’s when you knew this guy is unstoppable, because his shot was such a high release and he had unlimited range and his footwork is flawless.”
Now the head coach of the Wizards, Brooks marveled at the way Nowitzki invented the one-legged fadeaway jump shot that became unstoppable.
“That shot is, you can’t guard it, you just can’t guard it,” Brooks said. “It’s such a high release. He got a lot of credit for that and it’s deserving, because it’s not easy to do all of those balanced things and still get your shot off because defensive players are pushing you and guys are double-teaming you. And he was still able to find a way to get to his shots on the floor, and he had a couple of spots that you couldn’t get him away from and you couldn’t stop him from scoring in those spots.”
Hardcore NBA fans always have favorite players they enjoy watching as much as they can. According to Brooks, Nowitzki is on that must-see list.
“He’s fun to watch,” Brooks said. “He’s one of those guys that everybody has favorite players to watch or coach or scout against or just to turn the TV on, and he’s one of them.
“He plays the game the right way, he wasn’t out there trying to force bad shots. He was taking good shots, and a lot of times he would take shots that you look back and you say, ‘How did he make that?’ And there’s maybe one or two guys in the league that can make that shot.”
Brooks, who played for the Mavs during the 1995-’96 season, believes that whenever Nowitzki does decide to retire he’ll leave behind an ever-lasting legacy.
“He’s going to go down as one of the best ever at his position,” Brooks said. “I don’t think it’s fair for any of us to judge players on winning championships, but he’s won one (in 2011).
“But even if he didn’t win a championship he would be one of the best ever. He changed the game. His trail three (point shot) at his position – there were a few guys doing it before that – but he took it to another level.”
And that’s not the only thing Nowitzki took to another level.
“He was catching the ball at the free throw line — he was one of the first guys to go do that,” Brooks said. “You can’t double-team from that spot as easy.
“And his one-foot fadeaway, those are things that changed the game. And he’s changed the game in a fun way.”
Brooks got to be around Nowitzki up close and personal a few times, since he coached him when the Mavs’ legend played in the 2012 and 2014 NBA All-Star games. His respect level for Nowitzki reached new heights at the time, which is why Brooks isn’t surprised fans are giving him one thunderous ovation after another this season in various arenas across the NBA.
“He deserves the respect, not only for what he’s done for their organization, but what he’s done for the world and for the basketball world,” Brooks said. “He’s a global icon.
“Everybody knows Dirk and what he brings to the game and how he approaches the game and how he interacts with the fans. I got a chance to coach him in the All-Star game and he was very entertaining to be around.”
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