Naji Marshall was brought to the Dallas Mavericks this offseason to fill the role of Derrick Jones Jr. as a defensive stopper with a higher offensive upside. The offense is still coming around, as he's yet to make a three-pointer and is averaging just 3.0 PPG, Marshall's defense has been elite through the first four games of the season.
Only 26 players in the NBA have played in either three or four games through the start of games Wednesday night, are averaging more than 15 MPG, and have a defensive rating below 100. Naji Marshall is one of those players, with a defensive rating of 98.7.Marshall has kind of been playing as a Draymond Green-lite to start the season, showcasing a better-than-expected live-ball dribble and playmaking ability to pair with his elite defense.
Marshall had the game-sealing steal of Anthony Edwards in Wednesday's win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Western Conference Finals rematch. Edwards lit up the Mavs in the first quarter but was limited the rest of the game thanks to PJ Washington and Naji Marshall's defensive efforts.Jason Kidd is still playing with his rotations early in the year, but Marshall is making his claim as a key member of the bench unit with his defense and playmaking.
Dallas is back at home on Thursday against the Houston Rockets, the first of five straight games at home for the Mavs.Austin Veazey joined NoleGameday as the Lead Basketball Writer in 2019, while contributing as a football writer, and started as editor for MavericksGameday in 2024. Veazey was a Florida State Men’s Basketball Manager from 2016-2019. Follow Austin on Twitter at @EasyVeazeyNG
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