New Orleans Pelicans: 5 things we learned from Summer League
New Orleans Pelicans: Naji Marshall is ready for the rotation
It became pretty clear early on that Naji Marshall did not belong in Summer League.
He was one of the best players for any team, filled the stat sheet every night, brought energy, showed some new moves on offense and played tenacious defense.
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I also loved how he led the team both from the floor and from the bench, as the Pels were a quiet team last season that lacked any real vocal leaders.
Marshall can be that guy, as he doesn’t just talk, but leads with his energy, which is infectious.
I think the Pelicans had to have been impressed with what they’ve seen from Marshall so far, which may make it easier to allow Josh Hart to walk or to try and orchestrate a sign-and-trade for a guy like Buddy Hield.
Marshall has probably made Hart redundant, and while I’ll be sad to see Hart go if this is the case, Marshall has shown himself more than capable of being that 3-and-D guy off the bench and maybe more.