Nolan Winter is one of the rising stars and a huge key to the future of Wisconsin basketball. He's also a tremendous part of UW's current success. He's part of a duo that many people, even Greg Gard, refer to as "the 7-footers", the other being Steven Crowl. Nolan Winter has been excellent in many of the games this season, and the big win over Indiana is no exception. However, it was one shot that caused comparisons in his game to one of the best NBA players in the modern era.
Dirkkk @NolanWinter5 https://t.co/bl8ITdBA4b
— John Blackwell (@_Johnblackwell1) February 5, 2025
Wisconsin's Nolan Winter is drawing comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki
The height of 7'0" is part of the comparison, but that step-back mid-range fadeaway is a move that Nowitzki made famous. He would post a player up and then pull out that shot to get his buckets. The original comparison was shared by Wisconsin beat reporter Evan Flood of 24/7 Sports but was re-shared by John Blackwell. Blackwell with a simple message of "Dirkkk" and a tag of his buddy Winter.
Winter ended the Indiana game with 12 points and 5 rebounds. He also went 2-3 from behind the arch with another aspect that could draw some Nowitzki comparisons. In his 21 years in the league, Nowitzki nearly made 2,000 three-point shots, finishing with 1,982, shooting 38% over his career from behind the arch.
Winter is only a sophomore and has even more time to develop. In fact, after the game, when he was asked about his development, he praised coach Jim Snider, the Strength and Conditioning coach, for his added strength. Winter mentioned, he's still got a ways to go to even get to where he and Snider want him to be. You can see how Winter is developing before our eyes, and the Dirk Nowitzki comparisons should be nothing but flattering for him.