Jan 31, 2018; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) reacts against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Former Mavericks first-rounder just gave absurd Dirk Nowitzki take

Originally posted on Dallas Mavericks on SI
By Austin Veazey | Last updated Aug 27, 2025 3:10 PM ET

Former Dallas Mavericks first-round pick Shane Larkin is currently a starting guard for Turkey in the FIBA EuroBasket Tournament. There are a few current and former NBA players on the team, including Cedi Osman, Adem Bona, and Furkan Korkmaz, but undoubtedly the best player is Houston Rockets All-Star Alperen Sengun.

And according to Larkin, Sengun is the best center he's ever played with, potentially even over the greatest player in Mavericks history.

"I think he's the only NBA center
that I played with that was an All-Star," Larkin said.
"So if you count Dirk as a four [power forward],
obviously you can't really go against
that, but yeah, I would say thus far,
he's probably the best center that I
played with."

By the time Larkin was on the Mavericks in the 2013-14 season, you could argue Nowitzki maybe should've been a center at that point in his career, but they still had Brandan Wright and Samuel Dalembert on the roster.

However, 2013-14 was Nowitzki's last great season, one could argue, as it was his final season above 20 PPG. He averaged 21.7 PPG while shooting nearly 50/40/90, being .006 percentage points away from making it happen.

Why Shane Larkin is a Cursed Name in Mavericks History

Shane Larkin was chosen 18th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft and ended up with the Dallas Mavericks after a few draft night trades. He would only be with the Mavs for one season before they traded him to the New York Knicks for Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton.

However, the Dallas Mavericks were originally slated to have the 13th overall pick. In an effort to save money so they had more to spend in free agency, they traded back from 13 to 16 with the Boston Celtics, giving them Kelly Olynyk. Dallas was hoping that the raw and unheralded Giannis Antetokounmpo would still be on the board, but he instead went 15th overall to the Milwaukee Bucks.

There were a few people in Dallas' scouting room who were enamored with Antetokounmpo's potential, but Mark Cuban wanted to save money and pulled the trigger. With Antetokounmpo off the board, Dallas traded down again from 16 to 18 and landed Larkin. Safe to say, they probably would've rather had Antetokounmpo considering they spent their free agency money on Monta Ellis (which was valid), Samuel Dalembert, Wayne Ellington, and Jose Calderon.

This article first appeared on Dallas Mavericks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: