Naji Marshall Named Dallas Mavericks’ ‘Most Disrespected Hidden Gem’

Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall has been named the team’s “most disrespected hidden gem” by an NBA analyst.

Dan Favale of Bleacher Report believes Marshall is “a highly useful player without that glitzy volume and efficiency.”

“It would definitely be neat if Naji Marshall both made and attempted more triples. But he’s a highly useful player without that glitzy volume and efficiency,” Favale wrote. “The scope of his defensive assignments regularly runs the gamut of guards, wings and bigs. He’s more likely to get moved around so that he winds up covering a star than to avoid tracking one.

“What he lacks in dependable outside range, Marshall makes up for with driving acuity. He can bully his way to the rim, but that’s not his default. He dusted off a nifty floor game during his first season with the Dallas Mavericks, displaying patience coming around screens, some hesitation handles and a few footwork counters, all without sacrificing efficiency. His 56.1 percent clip on drives ranked seventh among 75 players who finished at least 500 downhill attacks.”

Marshall played in 69 games for the Mavericks last season. He averaged 13.2 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 0.2 blocks while shooting 50.8% from the field, 27.5% from beyond the arc and 81.3% from the free-throw line.

The Mavericks, who missed the playoffs last season after making the NBA Finals in 2024, went 32-37 when Marshall was in the lineup. The veteran swingman had six double-doubles.

Marshall, 27, signed a three-year, $27 million contract with Dallas last offseason. He’ll make $9 million next season and $9.4 million in 2026-27.

The Mavericks will need Marshall to score the basketball more next season since Kyrie Irving will miss most of the campaign recovering from his left ACL tear. Marshall scored a season-high 38 points against the New York Knicks on March 25 at Madison Square Garden for Dallas in 2024-25.