It’s time for Jason Kidd to make undeniable Klay Thompson change

The Dallas Mavericks wrapped up an impressive come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, as Dallas won 129-119 on the second night of a back-to-back on the road. This was the Mavericks' third game in a row without the likes of Luka Doncic, but Dallas overcame Doncic's absence with a total team effort in this contest.

Jason Kidd and the Mavericks were also without Quentin Grimes due to an illness and missed Klay Thompson in this game as well due to plantar fascia. This opened up an opportunity for the rest of Dallas' guards to take over the reins from an offensive creation standpoint, and they did just that in this game.

Kyrie Irving finished with 32 points, seven rebounds, and six assists in this contest, as Irving catapulted the Mavericks to this victory with his insane shotmaking and playmaking in the fourth quarter of this contest. However, Dallas got steady production from their other shot creators across the board as well, as Naji Marshall, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Jaden Hardy combined for 67 points in this game.

All three of those players showcased the ability to score at three levels and did a great job at being aggressive when attacking the rim, but Marshall is starting to really stand out in particular, as this was his third game scoring 20 or more points.

Naji Marshall should start over Klay Thompson

Marshall has been hyper-efficient from the field recently, as he's shooting 57.8 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from distance in the month of November. This has easily been Marshall's best offensive season of his career thus far, and he's playing well enough to make a case to start in front of Thompson in Dallas' lineup.

While Marshall may not have the switchability and athleticism that Derrick Jones Jr. had on the defensive end for the Mavericks last season, Marshall has been a solid point-of-attack defender all season long, especially against bigger-bodied guards and wings.

Mavericks fans have gotten accustomed to Marshall's dynamic finishing around the rim as well as his efficiency on floaters, and his 3-point shot is starting to really come around in the last handful of games after an extremely rough start on the season from downtown.

While Marshall was by no means labeled a one-dimensional 3-and-D wing when Dallas signed him this past offseason, not many fans or media members expected him to be this dynamic and efficient with the ball in his hands on offense.

At 26 years old, Marshall is arguably playing the best basketball of his career for the Mavericks recently, and he's stepping up in an increased capacity with all the injuries going on for the Mavericks at the moment.

With all that being said, it's time for Jason Kidd to give Marshall an opportunity to start over Thompson once Thompson returns from his plantar fascia, as Marshall's huge impact recently coincides with Thompson playing some very up-and-down basketball in this recent stretch.

Don't get it twisted, Thompson is still as sure of a threat as ever from outside, but his consistency shooting has fluctuated from game to game, and he's been hard-pressed to create his own offense in the mid-range or at the rim.

Thompson isn't showing any signs of slowing down at 34 years old, and he's been a capable defender for the Mavericks this season as well. However, Thompson is shooting a career-low 36.8 percent from outside so far this season, and Marshall's impact on offense has been more proficient than Thompson's based on Thompson's spotty shooting.

Even if it's just temporary, Kidd should give a crack at bringing Thompson off the bench in place of Marshall for a few games. Marshall has clearly been a better player on both ends recently, and perhaps a move to the bench could inject some life into Thompson from an outside shotmaking perspective.