Present in Manila for the 2023 World Cup draw as an ambassador for FIBA, where he now operates as president of the Players’ Commission and member of the central board, Dirk Nowitzki spoke once again about the evolution of the profile of interiors over the last twenty years, to which he greatly contributed.
Large position 4, the German was one of the first to move away from the paint and expand his offensive range to help develop position 4 towards a more complete profile.
“The game has changed. When I got there, there were a lot of 4 and 5 positions near the basket, rebounding and playing muscle. And then I was part of the change, in the early 2000s, when the game became more of a game of movement again, with less restraint, fewer mistakes,” did he declare. “It’s something we’ve seen over the past 20 years, with more and more talented interiors.”
Dramatic changes over 20 years
There are many examples, among players of his generation and the current generation to illustrate the main changes in the game more focused on the search for spacing with large more mobile, and of course the advent of 3-point shooting. Twenty years ago, in 2002-03, only two teams took more than 20 3-point shots on average per game. This season, the formation that took the least was 29 attempts on average. Dirk Nowitzki has chosen two figures of choice as the main ambassadors of these developments: Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry.
“Kevin Durant is actually a 2m08 fullback, who can dribble and shoot like a fullback. It’s really nice to see how far this sport has come in the past 20 years. The level of talent is incredible today. You can also see a Stephen Curry cross and take a shot from midfield. It’s just crazy. I believe that none of us could have imagined such a progression of the game as it has been the case for the last 20 years”he added.
Victor Wembanyama, the player of the future
Dirk Nowitzki then spoke on Victor Wembanyamapromised to become the next NBA phenomenon and also brought to mark the game with his incredibly complete game, from the height of his 19 years and 2m20.
“Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Victor Wembanyama arrives, a 2m20 guy… I watched a highlight the other day where he took a 3-point step-back then tapped behind it. I mean, who does that? You have to be skillful, you have to be quick, you have to be big. It’s scary to see how talented this kid is.”he blurted out. “He has the level, he can dribble, he can shoot. I hope he stays healthy. It’s the only thing that can stop him. I think for the rest I heard he had a good work ethic, he was a smart boy, he wanted to be big, he worked hard and we are all here to support him and see its potential fully expressed. We are all with him. I hope his body holds up. It’s a scary talent.”
