Mavericks' newest forward already sidestepping last season's major blunder

Last offseason, the Dallas Mavericks made a big move near the start of free agency that seemingly every fan was excited about.

Dallas completed a three-team sign-and-trade for Grant Williams, and he was expected to play a huge role on the Mavs right away. Williams was the starting four in Dallas alongside Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., and Dereck Lively II, and while Williams' start to the season was strong, his play spiraled downwards quickly.

In October and November, Williams shot 43 percent from downtown while averaging 9.8 points per game. Following that, Williams averaged 7.2 points per game while shooting just 33 percent from downtown.

Naji Marshall's commitment to conditioning sets him apart from Grant Williams

Dallas ended up moving Williams at the trade deadline in a move for P.J. Washington, and while his time in Dallas had some bright moments, it was time to move on for both sides. The Williams-Mavericks pairing was never meant to be and part of the reason that was true was due to him not fitting in as well as him not being in good shape to start the season.

Dallas had a big role carved out for Williams, but he wasn't ready for it. Although Williams reportedly lost 17 pounds over the course of the season to help with his conditioning, it may have been a little too late.

Now, one of the Mavericks' newest players is making sure the same thing doesn't happen to him.

The Mavs signed Naji Marshall to a three-year, $27 million deal to open free agency, and this move could end up turning out to be one of the most underrated moves of the offseason. Marshall is a criminally underrated player, and he is ensuring that he'll be ready for next season by working on his "body," according to an interview he had with Mavs.com's Eddie Sefko.

Marshall went on to list several other things he's been working on this summer to prepare for next season, but it's significant that he is taking his body and conditioning seriously this summer. Things came crashing down for Williams in Dallas due to him not being ready for the role Jason Kidd assigned him, and if he was well-conditioned coming into the season, maybe things would have turned out differently.

Marshall is poised to step in and immediately become one of the best defenders on the team, and while he won't be starting right away like Williams did, he'll likely have a big role cut out for him.

The excitement from Mavs fans around Marshall is high right now, as fans have loved what they've seen on social media from him. Whether if he is stopping by a Mavs Hoop Camp to show love to the community or dominating pro runs, Dallas fans can't wait to see Marshall play.

Marshall also seems excited to get to work on the Mavs, and his work this summer has the potential to make him a key piece of the rotation next season.

For all the latest on Naji Marshall and the Dallas Mavericks all offseason long, stay tuned as we'll have you covered.