On opening day of free agency, the Dallas Mavericks made a gamble that many fans didn’t expect.
Rather than re-sign Derrick Jones Jr., who was originally reported as the team’s biggest free agency priority, Dallas signed Naji Marshall to a three-year, $27 million deal.
Jones Jr. ended up signing with the LA Clippers on a three-year, $30 million deal, and while all of the buzz surrounding Marshall and his fit in Dallas was overwhelmingly positive over the offseason, he needs to play much better for Dallas’ gamble of signing him over Jones Jr. to look like the right decision.
Jones Jr. is thriving for the Clippers as he is averaging 10.5 points per game while shooting 64.3 percent from the field. He has started both of the games he has played, and he is displaying the same high-flying slams, 3-point shooting, and defense that made him a staple of the Mavs’ playoff run.
Marshall has struggled through first two games
While Jones Jr.’s start in LA, has been excellent, Marshall’s start for Dallas has been slow.
He started the season off with a quiet performance against the San Antonio Spurs as he finished with two points on 1-6 shooting, and while his defense was good, his offensive game looked shaky. These struggles continued into Saturday night’s loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Marshall finished with two points, two rebounds, and three assists while shooting 1-5 from the field in around 16 minutes of action. One of his misses included a layup at the rim, and the Mavs are going to need for him to start making a bigger impact offensively for this three-year investment of him over Jones Jr. to look like the right decision.
While Marshall hasn’t been getting tons of touches or good looks offensively, even his defense hasn’t been as great as advertised over the summer. He hasn’t brought the same energy that made him a staple for the New Orleans Pelicans, and him becoming an elite stopper on that end would be huge for Dallas.
Marshall has done a good job of bringing the ball up even when Luka Doncic and or Kyrie Irving are in the game to help give them a break and conserve some energy, but outside of that, we haven’t gotten to see his full offensive repertoire yet. He hasn’t gotten many good looks to begin with, and Monday night’s game against the Utah Jazz will be crucial for him to gain some traction in the rotation and get his offensive game going.
Seeing a couple of threes fall would be big for him considering that he has not made a three yet all season, and this is going to be a big part of his game this season considering the way that Doncic and Irving play. The open looks are going to keep coming. Marshall just needs to cash them in with rhythm and confidence.
Gaining chemistry is something that shouldn’t be expected overnight, and we’ll have a better feel for Marshall’s overall fit in a couple of weeks or even months. He is playing for a new team outside of the Pelicans for the first time in his career, and the overwhelmingly positive confidence and energy from his New Orleans days should come with time.
It’s way too early to over-analyze a player’s first two games with a team, but it’s clear that the Mavs are going to need much more from him.
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