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Naji Marshall · Unwilling to allow his team to rest on last season’s success, the Dallas Mavericks’ head coach arrived to November 3, 2024’s pregame with an ultimatum: if the reigning Western Conference champions wanted any “success,” the pace would need to be picked up. Finding speed and energy to be long embedded into his game, Naji Marshall hustles into an example, completely shutting the water on the Orlando Magic’s pick-and-roll with a well-telegraphed steal before coordinating the offense in transition. Hyperaware of his downfloor teammates before even crossing midcourt, Dallas’ newly-acquired swingman hangs a picture-perfect lob pass on a rope, locating his highflying big for a breathtaking alley-oop. Marshall’s always-urgent play helped Dallas make quick work of Orlando during night No. 1 of a back-to-back, in which they led by as much as 33. In a bench-leading 21 minutes, Marshall’s contribution allowed for four points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals, and a +9 plus-minus. · State of Mint