Naji Marshall

2024-25’s latter half, for the Dallas Mavericks, could someday be documentary worthy, but in the meantime, Naji Marshall has guaranteed one thing: his March highlight reel will also be among the must-sees. Handed the keys to Dallas’ offensive engine on March 25, 2025, Marshall attached the snakebitten Mavericks to his back, and catapulted them through a superhero-like 28-point (on 13-of-15 shooting) effort to encourage a halftime tie. The final act of opening-half excellence — in which Marshall tied past scoring legends for the most field goals by any Knicks opponent since 1996-97 — arrived first through an accurate spot-up on a teammate’s drive-and-kick. One of tireless two-way grit, Marshall immediately sequenced the 3-pointer, interrupting the New York Knicks’ middle-of-the-floor plans, eventually setting up an acrobatic, around-the-rim transition finish. Even in defeat, Marshall’s breakout status held steady, as he closed a career-long 12-game stretch of at least 15 points, and produced a 19.8-point, 7.3-rebound average over the month. Crossing the 2,500-point barrier along the way, Marshall closed with 38 points (on 17-of-25 shooting), seven rebounds, one steal, and a triple.