It seem a lot of media and fans expect Dirk to be the same superstar he has been even though he is 36. Age catches up with everyone, though, so I did a little research. I came up with a list of players who averaged 19.0 points or more when they were 36 or older: Michael Jordan Karl Malone Kareem Abdul Jabbar / Maybe Dirk is the exception, but it would not be a surprise if he took a significant step back this year.
He won't lose his shot. He will likely have to take a significant amount if minutes reduction if he wishes to stay healthy and be ready for playoffs ala the spurs. Great shoes don't lose their shot, athleticism sure. He will likely be slower and a bit more banged up. I predict about 17ppg on his typical efficiency.
Blair, Dalembert, Wright. That's who Dirk had at the 5 last year. This year, they have Chandler, who plays better defense than those 3 combined. Dirk might not have to try as hard on defense this year, so he'll have more energy there. Parsons might take away some of that offense from Dirk though.
People have been saying for years and years that dirks game will not get hurt as much as others from age. Only thing is you never know when a Nash, Hakeem, Barkley, or Kobe type injury will hit and kill the type of player they once were. I just don't see Kobe or Rose doing much this year.
/\ I'm not a Lakers fan and yet a part of me would really like to see Kobe stay Kobe, not be anything less. Ditto for Dirk, I guess.
I'm thinking 17ppg and 7rpg on his usual 48/38/90 shooting. Against the Rockets, the usual 28ppg and 12rpg on 55/45/95 shooting. Pretty boy Parsons with 30/8/8 and Murray crying
I'm far more interested in Duncan and Ginobili hitting the age wall. Dallas still won't be that good this year.
Depends on how healthy he is. The older you are, the more you are injury prone, and the longer it takes to recover. Most good players retire because of that. If you can't stay on the floor, your productivity will be reduced. It's just math. As a shooter, his efficiency should not be down too much.
I expect him to get 20ppg, but the rest of his stats will suffer. Lower rebounds, worse D. If you're a great shooter, you will continue to be able to shoot, but the other things will get worse.
