Over the last week, the Dallas Mavericks have been battling an illness that has swept through the locker room and sidelined key players.
Dereck Lively II, Quentin Grimes, and Daniel Gafford have all missed a game over the last week due to illness, and Kyrie Irving has been listed on the injury report for at least one game for illness but has not missed a game because of it.
Right after it seemed like the Mavericks had finally overcome the illness that had swept through their locker room, another player dropped for tonight's game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
Illness derails Naji Marshall's momentum amid breakout stretch
Naji Marshall left last night's game against the Utah Jazz with "upper respiratory" illness and never returned to the floor. Marshall has admitted to battling an illness over the last week or so, and it has not gotten better.
Marshall talked about how he has been taking "so much medicine" after Dallas' win over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, and you could tell in his voice that he had a little something going on. He hasn't been feeling great for the past few days, and this continued into today as Marshall will miss his first game of the season tonight against Portland. Other players listed as out against the Trail Blazers include Dante Exum (right wrist surgery), Dereck Lively II (right knee hyperextension), Klay Thompson (left foot plantar fascia), and Brandon Williams (G League Two Way), and the Mavs will have to fight an uphill battle considering how many of their key players are out.
Marshall has been elite for Dallas during Luka Doncic's absence as he scored 20+ points in four straight games before last night's game, and he is playing himself into a bigger role by the day. His defense, floater, ability to handle the ball, and improved 3-point shooting have all been massive for Dallas, and he is looking like one of the steals of the summer after just over a month of play. Some fans were concerned that he was going to be a huge drop-off from Derrick Jones Jr., but that has been far from the case.
Marshall's game is far different from Jones Jr.'s, but the Mavs have needed his guard skills badly. His passing has been much better than anyone could have imagined, and his slashing to the rim off the dribble has helped him set a career-high mark in efficiency.
In 20 games, Marshall has averaged 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 54.4 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from downtown. His floater has been uber-efficient all season long, and he has been huge in lessening the blow of Doncic being out with a wrist sprain.
Jason Kidd's trust in Marshall to handle the ball and push in transition has been huge in the Mavs playing faster, and Kidd wants this fast pace to continue even once Doncic returns. Not having to rely on Doncic and Kyrie Irving to bring the ball up and allowing Marshall and Quentin Grimes to bring the ball up sometimes has allowed Doncic and Irving to conserve some energy, and Kidd hopes Marshall's role doesn't change much even once Doncic returns.
Hopefully, Marshall being ill is the last player on the Mavs to have to deal with whatever sickness has been going around the locker room recently, and Marshall's first chance to return to the lineup will be on Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies at the American Airlines Center.
