Naji Marshall just got paid, but his spot in the Dallas Mavericks’ starting five might not survive training camp.
That’s the argument from Jedd Pagaduan, as first reported by ClutchPoints, who names Marshall as the Mav most at risk of sliding to the bench under new head coach Dusty May.
It’s not about Marshall playing badly. Far from it. He started 47 of his 74 games last season and put up 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists, shooting 58.7% on twos. Dallas liked it enough to hand him a three-year, $52.2 million extension.
The problem is the fit. Marshall hit just 29.1% from deep, and his late-season starts came largely as a ballhandler next to Cooper Flagg. With Kyrie Irving back to run the point, that job is spoken for.
The IAHHM Take
This is a spacing conversation, plain and simple. Flagg is coming off a rookie year where he averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists, and Kyrie is still Kyrie. Those two need room to cook.
With Daniel Gafford likely holding down center while Dereck Lively II works his way back, putting Marshall out there too means two non-shooters on the floor at once. That’s a tough look in today’s NBA.
ClutchPoints projects Max Christie and PJ Washington as the better fits next to Irving, Flagg and Gafford. Christie shot 40.4% from three last season, and Washington gives May a long, switchable defender who can spread the floor.
Here’s the thing, though. Coming off the bench isn’t a demotion for a player like Marshall. He’s the type of downhill, do-a-little-of-everything guy who can run the second unit. And with Dallas likely to be careful with Irving’s workload, he could still pick up spot starts on nights Kyrie sits.
Plenty of championship rotations have been built on a sixth man who could start anywhere else. Marshall could be that guy.
Mavs fans, where do you land: should Marshall keep his starting spot, or is he more valuable leading the bench?
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Source: ClutchPoints
