The New Orleans Pelicans have lacked defense all season but may have accidentally found an answer in Naji Marshall.
Marshall was forced into action after the Pels got hit with the injury bug and has shown flashes that he can be the versatile, energy/hustle guy the Pelicans will need moving forward.
Josh Hart has played that role this season and done it well, as he is one of the best guard rebounders in the NBA and can defend multiple spots on the perimeter.
But the Pels need wings, not two-guards, and Hart lacks the size to defend a lot of forwards, which he has been asked to do for most of this season.
Hart is also due to be a free agent, and his injury, future salary demands and the plethora of available shooting guards might put him off the Pels’ radar.
Could Naji Marshall be his replacement? Let’s take a look.
New Orleans Pelicans: Naji Marshall is bigger than Josh Hart
The Pelicans are undersized at the wing behind Brandon Ingram. In fact for most of the season, they haven’t even really had a backup for Ingram, which is why Hart often gets stuck defending forwards.
When they signed Marshall to a two-way contract, I thought he could be an undrafted gem, a guy who could provide the Pels with a backup for Ingram.
Marshall is a couple of inches taller than Hart and has more prototypical size for a forward. In his short amount of time on the floor this season, Marshall looked comfortable defending on the perimeter as well as in the post.
Hart has stepped up and done whatever the Pelicans have asked him to do, but the fact remains that the Pelicans need more size. Hart has good size for a shooting guard, but is not as equipped to defend forwards.
New Orleans Pelicans: Marshall is Hart but cheaper
Josh Hart’s role on the Pelicans is to bring energy, hustle and defense off the bench while knocking down open 3-point shots and running the floor.
This is pretty much the same skillset that Marshall brings to the table, especially when you consider that Hart’s 3-point shooting has taken a dip this season.
The biggest difference between the two is that Naji Marshall is on a two-way contract that will be dirt cheap for the Pelicans even after he is eventually converted to a full contract.
Josh Hart, on the other hand, will likely command as much as $15-18 million this offseason in free agency, which would put pressure on the Pelicans’ salary cap that is already stretched pretty thin.
If the Pelicans want to keep Lonzo Ball and make meaningful additions to their bench next season, then they need to find guys like Marshall who can produce on team-friendly contracts.
Marshall is not as good as Josh Hart, but he can probably provide 80 percent of what Hart gives you at a fraction of the cost, which would free up more cap space for the New Orleans Pelicans to use on other, more pressing needs.
Marshall has shown he will bring the kind of hustle and energy and Hart is known for and can do it for cheap.
New Orleans Pelicans: The Pels have too many shooting guards
The New Orleans Pelicans have a lot of guards and not enough forwards, which has been true going back to last season.
The Pelicans currently have six guards on their roster and at least four of them are shooting guards depending on how you view Isaiah Thomas.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker has played well enough to be considered part of the future. Lonzo Ball has played more off the ball and Eric Bledsoe is still under contract for next season and one more.
If the Pels were to trade Bledsoe, then this logjam would be cleared somewhat, but as of right now the last thing they need is another shooting guard.
Brandon Ingram is the only real wing, so it would be nice to balance the roster a bit more with a forward like Naji Marshall, whose defense and hustle would be a nice complement to both Ingram and Zion Williamson.
The big X factor is whether Marshall can improve his long-range shooting and become a true 3-and-D forward, as that is precisely what the Pelicans need moving forward.
Josh Hart is a fan favorite and he’s been very good for the Pels, but he is expendable, especially if they can find a guy who does what he does, adds more size and does it for much less.