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Dirk Nowitzki Responds To Karl-Anthony Towns’ ‘Greatest Shooting Big Man’ Of All-Time Claim

When Dirk Nowitzki  joined the NBA, numerous players and coaches alike didn’t believe Nowitzki would even last in the league, let alone break all kinds of records for a big man. But he has done that, and continued to prove the doubters wrong throughout his glamorous career. Nowitzki not only changed the game for international players, but changed the game forever overall.  Unfortunately, his impact and influence throughout the NBA is still not quite comprehended by the casual fan after all these years.

You see, young NBA fans growing up now will see the likes of Karl Anthony Town, Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid knocking down threes form the outside, but what they don’t realize is Nowitzki paved the way for every shot making big man that can step away from the basket and be a deadly weapon. Nowitzki didn’t just create the true definition of a “stretch 4 and stretch 5” he revolutionized those positions forever.

Previously, players were drafted out of college into the NBA purely on their size and ability to rebound the ball and possibly block shots. Now, NBA scouts are asking “Can he step away from the basket? Can he pick-and-pop? Can he handle the ball? Can he score? What’s his range?” All these questions are now relevant, because Nowitzki has dominated and scored the basketball in ways in which we’ve never seen big men put the ball in the basket for such a long period of time.

So when Karl-Anthony Towns claimed to be the best shooting big man of all-time, he certainly raised some eyebrows. Nowitzki himself though now praised Towns. But while saying he has a huge chance to become the greatest big man shooter ever, he also admitted that he’s still got a long way to go.

“He’s got the confidence and swag, that’s what you need to make it in this league. Not sure if he’s the greatest of all-time already, he’s still got a long way to go. His touch is great, he’s got the full package. If he keeps playing like this, he’s gonna be up there before his career is over.”