Marshall will be one of Luka Doncic’s favorite teammates.
Naji Marshall was signed to a three-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks on July 6th. The move came on the same day that Dallas traded for Klay Thompson, so the Mavericks’ contention hopes skyrocketed in one fell swoop. Marshall has been in New Orleans for the first four years of his career, scoring 7.5 points in just under 20 minutes a game. However, his calling card has been his defense, where he averages 1.3 steals per 36 minutes.
Marshall looks to carve out a role in Dallas and be a part of the talented, young core that the Mavericks are putting together. He is another Swiss army knife the Mavericks can utilize and makes both ends of the floor much easier for his teammates. Unfortunately for him, the Mavericks have acquired multiple pieces this off-season and where Marshall fits into the rotation remains to be seen.
Big Question
Dallas has a bit of a log jam at the three and four. Marshall, P.J. Washington, Klay Thompson, and Maxi Kleber all will spend time at the forward spots, which complicates the allotted minutes. Some of Marshall’s production will be situational when the Mavericks need to go small. But the underlying mystery, similar to Spencer Dinwiddie, is how well Marshall will shoot the three. Luka Doncic requires players around him to be efficient and make shots, and Marshall has only had one season above 35 percent from beyond the arc.
Best Case Scenario
Marshall has a real chance to look like the best fit alongside Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and Dereck Lively. He is a connector: a guy who can flip the ball to the other side of the court on a dribble or make the right pass to force a defensive rotation. This type of player is exactly what the three guys mentioned need as a running mate, and Marshall may present a case to start by the end of the year. Whether that is in place of Klay Thompson or P.J. Washington may be situational, but if Marshall can hit threes at a clip similar to last year (38.7 percent), then it will be hard to keep him off the court. In a best-case world, Marshall outplays his contract by $10 or $15 million.
Worst Case Scenario
The worst case for Marshall may not even be bad. If his shot regresses, he could get lost in the shuffle of versatile tools the Mavericks possess and play less than the other forwards on the team. It is hard to see this happening, however, because Marshall is a great defender, and Jason Kidd rewards defense even if shots are not falling.
Season goal
Marshall’s goal should be to lock down the other team’s best player on a nightly basis when he is in and shoot the long ball around 40 percent. This would make Dallas’ bench unit a clear mismatch and may even help the starting lineup at some point.
Overall
Marshall was a great addition this off-season. His contract will look fantastic in the coming years and as soon as he starts playing, fans will love him. With championship aspirations, the Mavericks needed more winning players and Marshall brings just that. He is a competitor, a great defender, and a guy who will do whatever you need him to. He’s going to make an impact from day one and is going to make the rest of the league regret passing on him.