Despite the Dallas Mavericks losing and then losing some more, Naji Marshall’s toughness and understanding of the small things it takes to win was on display last week. A rare highlight that’s worth celebrating.
So let’s spend some time taking a closer look at the underrated talent of Naji Marshall: understanding how to change the momentum of a game and leading a pack of fighters to a win. It doesn’t happen every game, nor is it possible, but when it does, it gives the team some edge.
In the win against the New Orleans Pelicans last week, Naji Marshall received a technical foul in the fourth quarter. Was that a bad decision? In head coach Jason Kidd’s words, as reported by Noah Weber:
“I’ll let him explain, but I’m gonna try to explain it first. He felt the T was needed to get the defense in gear and he will tell you that the T helped us get three stops in a row.”
“I love his competitiveness, he’s not afraid… And we’ll call that silly fine for him getting a T at that point in the game.”
Here’s what led to the technical foul, a clearly intentional act:
Like Jason Kidd, Marshall understands how to play the game within the game. Beyond the data sheet is a host of small and big actions that affect the tides of a game, potentially change momentum and help rally the team.
That’s what Naji Marshall intentionally did with this technical foul, according to Kidd. And I’m inclined to believe him.
When taking a technical foul can engage and motivate a team to the extent that they work hard enough to get three stops in a row, in a tight game, that can sometimes be worth it.
The added bonus of putting yourself on the line like that is that if you’re a performer, you get yourself riled up, as well. And that’s exactly what happened here. Naji Marshall ended up making a crucial three pointer to take the lead with 30 seconds left in the game:
P.J. Washington and Marshall continued the chirping after the game ended. When you’re pumped up like that, tempers can run high. That specifically is not particularly beneficial to the game – since it was over – but it may actually help build the Mavs culture. The us-versus-them mentality never hurts on a competitive team.
Naji Marshall is a player who understands the power of doing the small things to affect a game. That’s a great type of player to have on the Dallas Mavericks. If he and Washington manage to use their instincts even more to affect games in the small ways with the right timing, they could probably lead the Mavs to a couple more wins than expected.
But timing is key. A technical foul in the fourth quarter is very rarely a good idea. Except for that one time when it changed the tide enough for the Dallas Mavericks to believe they could do it.
