The moniker “The Knife” for Naji Marshall was a hard-earned honor through consistently stout defense and adaptable offensive versatility. He has a unique NBA origin story, too. The Xavier University alum initially got the attention of the New Orleans Pelicans during the COVID-19 pandemic-affected years, and his infectious personality has been a mainstay in Willie Green's locker room ever since.

Now two dozen games into his fourth season, it's obvious that Marshall's offensive blade has been sharpened to the point of being grossly underpaid.

Naji Marshall knows role, shot needs more respect

Pelicans head coach Willie Green has frequently discussed how playing more than 10 players a night is a challenge. Naji Marshall is a big part of those tough conversations on both sides of the court. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson have to shoulder enough of the scoring burdens, while Marshall, Jones and Dyson Daniels have to hold down the other end. It is hard to deny, however, that New Orleans is benefitting from Marshall's refined game in the limited minutes available.

The undrafted prospect played more minutes as a rookie but is far more efficient this year. Marshall's assist numbers might be down, but he is making his shots at a far better rate for the Pelicans. His points per game, free-throw percentage, and three-point success rate deserve recognition, especially since his points in transition off of turnovers is down substantially. His 3-point percentage, true shooting percentage, and effective field goal ratios have risen by almost ten points in just 170 career games.

Here's the breakdown of his stats per season:

  • 2020-21: 21.9 mpg, 7.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.8 apg, 34.9% 3PA, 70.7% FTA, 46.2% EFG, 50.8% TS, 108.1 OFFRTG, 16.3% PtsOFFTO
  • 2021-22: 13.4 mpg, 5.7 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.1 apg, 20% 3PA, 79.6% FTA, 44.4 EFG, 50.5% TS, 105.7 OFFRTG. 18.8% PtsOFFTO
  • 2022-23: 23.3 mpg, 9.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.5 apg, 30.3% 3PA, 78.9% FTA, 53.9% EFG, 49% TS, 111.2 OFFRTG, 18.6% PtsOFFTO
  • 2023-24: 20.2 mpg, 8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2 apg,  42.5% 3PA, 84.8% FTA, 55.7% EFG, 61.6% TS, 113.3 OFFRTG, 12% PtsOFFTO

Marshall initially signed a two-way contract (December 2020). The Pelicans officially announced the signing of Marshall to a multi-year deal in May 2021. He is an unrestricted free agent after this season though. His market value will test the purchasing power of the current Pelicans front office.

If the Pelicans want to be flexible around the luxury tax, they'll have to be open to paying Marshall a bit more than his career average.