Grading Naji Marshall's 2025-26 Season for Dallas Mavericks

The 2025-26 season ended much earlier than the Dallas Mavericks wanted, but much later than what was needed. It was apparent that the season was going to be a disaster from the second game, a loss to the Washington Wizards.

As with any team, there are going to be ups and downs, bright spots and dark moments. There are going to be more disappointments on a team that went just 26-56 when they were supposed to have championship expectations. However, Naji Marshall was not one of them.

This is our second installment of grading every Maverick this season. We started with Cooper Flagg, and we'll be going through every player throughout the next few weeks. Next up is Naji Marshall, who ended up second on the team in total points scored. While that's great for him, it's also an indication of how this season went for the Mavs.

Dec 25, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Naji Marshall (13) during the second quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Naji Marshall's 2025-26 Season Grade: A-

Naji Marshall took a step forward as a ball-handler and inside finisher, shooting a blistering 67.2% inside of 5 feet. He found a lot of success with a little push shot, and he was nearly automatic with it. Helping that was an improved handle, as he was able to lead the offense and get into the paint at will.

That led Marshall to post career highs in points and assists, averaging 15.2 PPG and 3.3 APG. He started a few games at point guard because of the lack of depth at the position throughout the season, and his improvements, and he performed admirably in that role when asked to do it.

That doesn't mean that everything was perfect for Marshall, though. He still struggled to shoot efficiently, hitting just 29.1% of his threes and going 76% at the line, the second-lowest mark of his career. When he was signed, the hope was that the 38.7% he shot from three in his last year in New Orleans would be something to build on, but that has yet to happen.

Marshall also hasn't been as great a defender as we thought he could be. He averaged a career high in steals at 1.1 per game, but his on-ball defense took a slight step back this season, likely because of the increased offensive responsibilities.

The Mavericks are a forward-heavy team. Between Marshall, Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington, Caleb Martin, and Khris Middleton (if he returns), they have a lot of talent at the same positions. That could make someone like Marshall a trade candidate. He's in the last year of his contract, making a little more than $9 million, which is a bargain for a player like him, but the Mavs need to decide if he's a long-term fit alongside Cooper Flagg. If not, exploring trade options for him this summer may not be a bad idea.

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