# Is Dirk the best post player in the NBA?



## Basel (Mar 31, 2005)

> When you look at the top players posting up in terms of points per possessions (with at least 50 post up possessions), Dirk Nowitzki is the player who shows up at the top of the list. On the block, Nowitzki scores on over half of his post possessions (58.1% to be exact), getting to the free throw line 16.3% of the time, while only turning it over 6.7% of the time.
> 
> What’s interesting about Nowitzki and his post game is that he isn’t a guy who faces up a ton (which is something you would expect from a shooter with his size). Nowitzki’s go to move is turning over his right shoulder while making a move off of the dribble on both sides of the court, though it is more prevalent on the left block (63.5% on the left block/48.1% on the right block). Despite that, when Nowitzki does face up (17.6% on the left/31.9% on the right), he is extremely dangerous because his height allows him to simply shoot it over the defense. Going back to his go to move, what makes Nowitzki so dangerous is that he has that quick spinning unorthodox shot that he can knock down from distance. This means that Nowitzki doesn’t need fantastic positioning. He just needs to get to a spot he is comfortable at (15 feet or so), and he is strong enough to back a defender to that spot.
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http://nbaplaybook.com/2011/08/05/nba-player-skill-rankings-%E2%80%93-post-play/


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