Kristaps Porzingis is close to becoming one of the better players in the league today despite having only been in the league for two seasons.He just needs to work on a few more aspects of his game, as well as having a couple more pieces around him at the New York Knicks in order to reach the next level and help the team get back into the playoffs, a place they haven't been for the past four seasons.One of the ways which the Latvian wanted to improve his game is to work with one of the best European players the NBA has ever seen in Dirk Nowitzki."I'm sure it will help me out and improve my game, hopefully, unless Mark Cuban says no,'' Porzingis said to the New York Post back in March. "Dirk is a guy who can really help my game. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to work with him, a few days to get on the court with him and pick his brain."When the NBA was in Johannesburg this week for the NBA Africa game, Porzingis finally got his opportunity to work with the Dallas Mavericks star. Nowitzki will captain the world team for this year's Africa Game, which will take place on August 5.According to SNY, Nowitzki said last year about the Knicks star: "I am a huge fan of his game. Obviously, the sky is the limit for him. He's got the deep ball. He's got the in-between game. He is working on his post-ups. He is the real deal."

Following a strong rookie season in New York, the 22-year-old averaged 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds per game last season despite everything else going on around him at the Knicks. His third season in the league looks to be another interesting and challenging season for him.

The German, on the other hand, is coming to the end of his NBA career and could retire following the end of next season. In July, the 13-time All-Star signed a two-year, $10 million deal to stay with the Mavericks, with the second year being a team option.

It was during this week as well that Porzingis announced he would like to be a member of the New York Knicks for the rest of his career, which would follow in Nowitzki's footsteps of playing for just one team throughout the entirety of his NBA career.