WASHINGTON -- Playing his 21st NBA season with the Dallas Mavericks at the age of 40, star forward Dirk Nowitzki of Germany said he never rule out of the possibility of playing next season.

"I haven't really thought about my plan for next season. I would love to be there for the young guys one more year, but I think it depends on how the body feels. I've had issues obviously this year, I had some knee swelling here the last few weeks, actually before the All-Star break, so it's not all great," Nowitzki was quoted as saying by the Dallas Morning News on Thursday.

"But I am feeling better, I am feeling stronger. I think I'm going to make that decision later on," he added.

Nowitzki missed the first 26 games of this season while he recovered from an inflamed tendon in his left foot. Since his return which came on Dec 13 last year against the Phoenix Suns, his playing time has been rising and he also started in the past few games.

"My legs are a lot better than earlier in the season. I just feel better overall. I feel like I can actually contribute, whereas earlier I was struggling just to get up and down," he said.

Playing along side rookie phenom Luka Doncic as well as newly acquired former All-Star forward Kristaps Porzingis seems to entice Nowitzki as well.

"I think Luka and Kristaps, if they stay healthy, stay together, they should be a great combo," Nowitzki said. "They should play great off each other. Both have an incredible skill set for their size, incredible playmaking ability for their size."

Although Nowitzki was troubled by the long-time injury this season, he stayed rather healthy last season, playing 77 games at the age of 39.