6.4 composite · lower is better
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Player profile · DAL

Dirk Nowitzki
Dirk Nowitzki advanced stats and career rankings
5.6 average league finish
6,053 total value
Bottom line · Career overview
Dirk Nowitzki ranks #43 all time. 7 top-ten finishes give him a sustained run near the top of the league. His full-career value ranks #24, so longevity is a major reason he lands this high. Explore Dirk Nowitzki's advanced stats by season, era-adjusted impact, workload, and historical comparisons.
Career standing
How Dirk Nowitzki ranks all time
These are league placements, not raw scores. Each season is judged against that season's qualified player pool.
Best in the league
Elite finishes
Upper-tier finishes
Standard deviations across scoring seasons
Equal average of Best 3, Prime 5, and Best 10 league finishes. The overlapping windows make this explicitly peak-weighted. Lower is better.
- Best 3 weight
- 63.3%
- Score
- 6.4
- Qualified seasons
- 21
- All-time rank
- #43
Every season
Dirk Nowitzki advanced stats by season
Era-centered box impact supports comparisons through time. Impact Rate and its rank compare players only within that season.
| Season | Team | Age | GP | MP | Era-centered box impact | Impact Rate | Rate rank | Season Value | Value percentile | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 40 | 51 | 795 | -3.38 | 9.0 | #336 | -22.6 | 11th | Established |
| 2017–18Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 39 | 77 | 1,900 | +2.56 | 87.5 | #46 | 172.6 | 88th | Strong |
| 2016–17Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 38 | 54 | 1,424 | +1.78 | 84.0 | #59 | 103.4 | 77th | Strong |
| 2015–16Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 37 | 75 | 2,364 | +2.35 | 88.2 | #44 | 201.8 | 91st | Strong |
| 2014–15Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 36 | 77 | 2,282 | +1.55 | 81.9 | #68 | 160.5 | 86th | Strong |
| 2013–14Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 35 | 80 | 2,628 | +4.74 | 97.4 | #10 | 345.2 | 97th | Strong |
| 2012–13Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 34 | 53 | 1,661 | +3.10 | 92.3 | #28 | 166.1 | 85th | Strong |
| 2011–12Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 33 | 62 | 2,079 | +3.91 | 95.3 | #17 | 234.0 | 96th | Strong |
| 2010–11Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 32 | 73 | 2,504 | +4.35 | 97.4 | #10 | 302.3 | 96th | Strong |
| 2009–10Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 31 | 81 | 3,039 | +4.22 | 97.0 | #11 | 364.2 | 99th | Strong |
| 2008–09Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 30 | 81 | 3,050 | +3.61 | 94.9 | #18 | 326.2 | 97th | Strong |
| 2007–08Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 29 | 77 | 2,769 | +5.64 | 98.5 | #6 | 397.3 | 98th | Strong |
| 2006–07Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 28 | 78 | 2,820 | +7.23 | 99.1 | #4 | 485.5 | 99th | Strong |
| 2005–06Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 27 | 81 | 3,089 | +7.35 | 99.1 | #4 | 528.4 | 99th | Strong |
| 2004–05Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 26 | 78 | 3,020 | +6.63 | 98.3 | #7 | 503.4 | 99th | Strong |
| 2003–04Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 25 | 77 | 2,915 | +3.80 | 95.5 | #16 | 328.2 | 97th | Strong |
| 2002–03Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 24 | 80 | 3,117 | +6.66 | 98.1 | #7 | 520.3 | 99th | Strong |
| 2001–02Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 23 | 76 | 2,891 | +4.35 | 95.7 | #15 | 354.8 | 96th | Strong |
| 2000–01Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 22 | 82 | 3,125 | +4.41 | 94.8 | #18 | 389.1 | 97th | Strong |
| 1999–00Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 21 | 82 | 2,938 | +1.40 | 79.4 | #67 | 197.4 | 88th | Strong |
| 1998–99Historical Defense Estimate | DAL | 20 | 47 | 958 | -2.28 | 19.9 | #222 | -5.0 | 20th | Established |
Career movement
Dirk Nowitzki's career impact by season
Peak +7.35 in 2005–06 · 21 seasons · 51,368 minutes
The same historical box-score model is used for every season, making the career shape comparable through time. This is separate from the current lineup-context ranking.
Career comparison
Compare the shape, not the calendar
Align by NBA experience to compare season one with season one, or by age to compare players at the same stage of life.
NBA season number · fixed impact axis −5 to +15
Similar career arcs
Players with careers similar to Dirk Nowitzki
The score compares era-centered box impact, peak, prime, workload, career length, position, and trajectory aligned by NBA experience. It describes career shape, not playing style or equal ability.
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88%career match
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86%career match
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85%career match
92% season match · 2005–06 ↔ 1994–95Impact Rate shows how strong a player was compared with everyone else that season. Season Value adds how much he played. The career ranking rewards a high peak, a long prime, and repeated seasons near the top. Older seasons use clearly labeled estimates where the NBA did not record today's full set of statistics. Read how every ranking works →