The Dallas Mavericks have extremely high expectations entering the 2024-25 campaign after an NBA Finals appearance and a strong offseason. Klay Thomson was the prize acquisition this year for Dallas, but they also used their mid-level exception to sign Naji Marshall, and his potential value to the team has been overlooked.

Marshall is turning heads early on in training camp. He is a versatile player who could play a big role for Dallas.

“He was making floaters, pull-ups. I was impressed with Naji; he scored a couple of times on me. His jumper was fluid, and his midrange was nice,” said Thompson.

The former Pelican is a plus defender who was brought in to shore up the defense, an area the Mavericks definitely needed some help in. Marshall will also impress in other departments and be a key contributor in several other ways.

He raised his shooting percentages significantly last year and ended up 46 percent from the field and 39 percent from three by season’s end. Marshall also possesses a sneakily underrated passing ability that will make him a complete role player on a team that has championship aspirations.

“As far as I can remember (passing) has been the best thing I can do on a basketball court since I started playing. I just started getting credit now, but anywhere on the floor, in transition, and in the half-court, I like to get guys involved. I used to give people a lot of credit; if they were on my team, I thought they should have the ball, so I would always drive and kick, and I guess it played in my favor, to be honest,” said Marshall.

Marshall will receive little attention while defenses load up to try to stop Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the many other great scoring options on the roster. He will have plenty of open looks this season, and by the end of the year, NBA fans will be more familiar with his game.

“I think playing with these guys; there is going to be a lot more spacing and opportunity for me on the floor that wasn’t necessarily there for me in New Orleans. Being able to showcase my playmaking ability, I shot it pretty well from three last year. Hopefully, this year, I shoot it even better. I think being able to show my complete game and showing that I can really shoot the ball,” said Marshall.

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