Mavericks finally grant Naji Marshall his long-time wish

When the upcoming season tips off, Dallas Mavericks fans are likely going to see Naji Marshall continue to get exactly what he wants: more playing time and increasingly more on-ball reps.

This has been the gift Marshall has been receiving ever since his time in Dallas began. For the first four seasons of his career in New Orleans, Naji wasn't getting nearly the kind of opportunity he's being afforded now.

While with the Pelicans, Marshall was essentially relegated to the role of a spot-up wing and a hustle player. His impact was more so defined by his energy and defensive attitude than his offensive creation abilities.

That's an okay situation to be in, because if you have talent it's still going to shine in spurts. But Naji is now in a position where we're seeing that he can do so much more. And ultimately, that puts both he and the Mavericks in a good place.

Dallas now has Cooper Flagg as the future face of the franchise, while Anthony Davis is going to do a lot of the heavy lifting here and now. In the middle, there's plenty of room for guys like Marshall to shine.

Naji Marshall will continue to get more on-ball reps

The Mavs could stand to benefit from Naji being able to free-wheel a bit more on offense. He's already shown flashes as a secondary playmaker, and has shown off his court vision when given chances to attack closeouts.

There's already plenty of proof that Naji has the blueprint of a guy who can be a great scorer and ball-handler. Both the eye test and the numbers back this up. In 69 games in Dallas this past season, he averaged career-bests with 13.2 points per game, 4.8 rebounds and 50.8% shooting, all while playing the highest minutes average of his career.

If Marshall continues to progress, it's very possible he could earn his way into a regular starting role. And part of what backs that up is the fact that there's still room for reasonable improvement in his game. He hasn't been a great outside shooter, but that's something that can be worked on and corrected.

And at the end of the day, this still-improving version of Naji Marshall is exactly what the doctor ordered for the Mavericks. Many of the other wings coming off the bench are more spot-up or off-ball oriented players, and Marshall can continue to prove that he can fill those kinds of gaps.