The Mavericks’ search for a reliable backup point guard might not require a trade after all. Dallas has a clear need behind Kyrie Irving heading into next season, and while Cooper Flagg is expected to handle more point guard duties, the combination of Sergio De Larrea and Marcus Sasser doesn’t look like enough to steady the backcourt in the Western Conference - particularly if Irving misses time.
That’s where Naji Marshall enters the picture.
Marshall is coming off the best season of his career, putting up 15.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game while shooting 51 percent from the field. Dallas also showed its faith in him with a three-year extension earlier this summer, a sign the team sees him as part of its long-term core.
Even though he’s listed as a 6-foot-6 forward, Marshall has the tools to function as a backup point guard. Of Dallas’ other options at the position, he brings the most NBA experience, and he’s already shown he can handle stretches as an offense-setter.
What makes him interesting in that role is the way he processes the game. Marshall’s passing is one of the more overlooked parts of his skill set, and he tends to make the simple, correct read instead of trying to force something into traffic.
In transition, he’s comfortable deciding whether to attack the rim or move the ball to a teammate. He’s also a strong alley-oop passer.
His ability to get downhill adds another layer. Marshall’s driving creates paint touches, which naturally pulls help defenders and opens shooters on the perimeter.
He has a solid floater, and when defenses start selling out to stop it, he can kick out to the three-point line. That fits with Dallas’ obvious emphasis on improving its shooting, especially after finishing as one of the league’s worst 3-point teams last season.
The expectation is that won’t be the case in 2026-27.
Marshall’s own outside shot still needs work. He shot under 30 percent from three for the second straight season last year, but that doesn’t have to be a deal-breaker if he’s asked to run the second unit. His job would be simpler: handle the ball cleanly, move it to Dallas’ shooters and keep Irving from carrying every possession.
In some ways, Dallas may need Marshall more as a guard than as a wing. The Mavericks have plenty of wing depth, which makes it harder to carve out minutes there. If Marshall shifts into a point guard role, though, his path to meaningful playing time opens up.
The Mavericks probably would have preferred to address their guard depth more aggressively in free agency or through a trade. Still, Marshall gives them a built-in option, and he’s already shown enough since arriving in Dallas in the summer of 2024 to suggest he can do the job. If the Mavericks are going to make a push for the NBA Playoffs for the first time since 2024, he could wind up being a crucial piece of the puzzle.
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For a young player trying to carve out a role, that sort of trust matters, especially when the path to the rotation is anything but clear. Johnson Jr.s exact place in the lineup still depends on his development and whatever the roster looks like by the time the season settles in, but Dallas does not need him to be a finished product right away. It just needs him to keep giving the staff reasons to believe his defense can translate quickly enough to matter. [Read more 🡒]