<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0ydYvF_0uzAX2Nq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0ydYvF_0uzAX2Nq00" width="912" height="513" ><figcaption>Dec 26, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Naji Marshall (8) brings the ball upcourt during the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports | Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports </figcaption></figure> The 2024-25 <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/dallas-mavericks-emirates-nba-cup-considered-must-watch-golden-state-warriors-luka-doncic-klay-thompson-steph-curry" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Dallas Mavericks </a> are coming off of a season in which the vibes were truly immaculate – easily their best since the epic championship run in 2011. The battle-tested Mavs brawled their way through a brutal Western Conference slate before eventually meeting their match in the NBA Finals against the now-champion <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/games-announced-dallas-mavericks-boston-celtics-nba-finals-rematches-24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Boston Celtics </a> . Though it ended in a loss, it was Dallas’ first trip to the Finals since their win against <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/los-angeles-lakers-lebron-james-serbia-dallas-mavericks-luka-doncic-in-rarified-air" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> LeBron James </a> and Dwyane Wade’s <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/dallas-mavericks-legend-dirk-nowitzki-surprising-revelation-2011-championship-miami-heat-lebron-james" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Miami Heat </a> . <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> Still, players come and go, even from title-contending teams: in the offseason, Dallas lost wing <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/derrick-jones-jr-reveals-why-he-left-dallas-mavericks-for-la-clippers-24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Derrick Jones Jr. </a> to free agency, a starter in 66 of the 76 games he played last season. Though the Mavericks signed <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/klay-thompson-return-game-dallas-mavericks-golden-state-warriors-revealed-24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Klay Thompson </a> as their big offseason “splash,” it is fair to say that the former Warrior has lost a step on the defensive end, something that Jones Jr. was particularly effective with. Jones Jr. was often given the primary assignment for the opposing team’s best perimeter scoring option, including players like <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/clippers-paul-george-terance-mann-talk-defending-dallas-mavericks-luka-doncic-r1-24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Paul George </a> , against whom he held his own in the Mavericks’ series against the Clippers. On the offensive end, Jones Jr. was a great cutter and lob threat as well as a spot-up shooter who saw a resurgence in his three-point shot, hitting a career-best 34.3% from deep in his lone year in Dallas. On top of this, he also topped his career-high on three-point rate, with 48.3% of his shots coming from beyond the arc. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> What does this have to do with <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/dallas-mavericks-eager-naji-marshall-toughness-derrick-jones-jr-replacement" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Naji Marshall </a> ? The question being asked is, how much of an offensive bump will Marshall see playing in this new offensive system? Many are assuming Klay Thompson will start at the three, but Marshall will surely play high-level rotational minutes. <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/dallas-mavericks-to-start-2024-25-season-against-in-state-rival-san-antonio-spurs-wemby" rel="nofollow"> READ MORE: Dallas Mavericks To Start 2024-25 Season Against In-State Rival </a> Marshall’s tendencies on the offensive end are mostly of the catch-and-shoot variety, as 42% of his shots come from the three-point line, from which he shoots 38.7%. This is already above the league average of 36.6%, and his 1.19 points per shot on catch-and-shoot attempts rank him at the 76th percentile in the league, according to Synergy Sports . Given the improvement seen by Derrick Jones Jr. last season on his three-point percentage and increase in attempt rate, it’s reasonable to assume that Marshall could see a similar uptick in numbers. There are plenty of great looks to be had considering the way the Mavericks run their offense, and the gravity that players like <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/los-angeles-lakers-hall-of-famer-criticizes-dallas-mavericks-luka-doncic-would-start-milwaukee-bucks-damian-lillard-michael-cooper" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Luka Doncic </a> and <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/dallas-mavericks-kyrie-irving-iconic-game-winner-against-denver-nuggets-used-as-mural-for-basketball-court-in-philippines-24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Kyrie Irving </a> have with the ball in their hands. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> The other thing to take into account is Marshall’s defensive prowess. On the Pelicans, he was one of the better defenders alongside ball-stoppers Herb Jones , Dyson Daniels , and Trey Murphy III . These players helped lead the Pelicans to a campaign in which they had the sixth-best defensive rating in the NBA at 111.9 in the regular season. Overall, Jones Jr. and Marshall have very similar profiles –&nbsp;they’re both spot-up shooting wings, around the same size, that can attack the occasional closeout on the offensive end. They are also players with great footwork on the defensive end who like to use their length to their advantage to crowd opposing ball handlers, occasionally knocking the ball loose and creating live-ball turnovers to turn into transition chances. <nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate> Considering how underrated of a loss Derrick Jones Jr. really was for this Mavericks team, Nico Harrison and company may have found the team a perfect replacement. <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/los-angeles-lakers-hall-of-famer-criticizes-dallas-mavericks-luka-doncic-would-start-milwaukee-bucks-damian-lillard-michael-cooper" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> READ MORE: Lakers Hall of Famer Criticizes Mavericks' Luka Doncic, Would Start Damian Lillard Over Him </a> Stick with MavericksGameday for more <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/" rel="nofollow"> FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks </a> throughout the NBA Offseason. Follow MavericksGameday on <a href="https://x.com/MavericksSI" rel="nofollow"> Twitter </a> and Keenan Womack on <a href="https://x.com/KeenanWomack" rel="nofollow"> Twitter </a> . <h2> More Dallas Mavericks News </h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/dallas-mavericks-acquire-golden-state-warriors-klay-thompson-in-complicated-six-team-sign-and-trade-24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Dallas Mavericks Acquire Warriors' Klay Thompson In Complicated Six Team Sign-and-Trade </a></li></ul><ul><li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/dallas-mavericks-announce-signing-of-new-orleans-pelicans-forward-naji-marshall-24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Dallas Mavericks Announce Signing of New Orleans Pelicans Forward Naji Marshall </a></li></ul><ul><li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/breaking-dallas-mavericks-use-final-roster-spot-on-familiar-guard-from-la-lakers-24-spencer-dinwiddie" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Dallas Mavericks Use Final Roster Spot On Familiar Guard From LA Lakers </a></li></ul><nbtemplate data-id="AdPlaceholder" data-content="JTdCJTdE"></nbtemplate><ul><li><a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/golden-state-warriors-star-draymond-green-is-happy-as-hell-with-klay-thompson-signing-with-dallas-mavericks-24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Warriors' Draymond Green is 'Happy As Hell' With Klay Thompson Signing With Mavericks </a></li></ul> This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/mavericks as <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/mavericks/news/naji-marshall-replace-derrick-jones-jr-dallas-mavericks-24?utm_source=RSS" rel="nofollow"> How Will Naji Marshall Replace Derrick Jones Jr. for the Dallas Mavericks? </a> . </div></body>

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How Will Naji Marshall Replace Derrick Jones Jr. for the Dallas Mavericks?

The former New Orleans Pelican will play a major role for the 2024-25 Mavericks one the wing. How will his game translate?

How Will Naji Marshall Replace Derrick Jones Jr. for the Dallas Mavericks?

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